Snakes and Ladders
by Sonamae
Summary: Gwen meets a whole new level of tough when she gets kidnapped by things that slither across her mind. Kevin seems to be in control here, and for a 19 year old, he still gets her mad. Will Gwen get out with her sanity? For Stacey.
1. Chapter 1

"8 years and you're still nothing but a child, Ben." Gwen said, holding up the bag full of food for her grandfather.

"Here you are Grandpa." she said sweetly.

"Thanks Gwendolen. Ben, stop playing around and put the fire out." Max said as he took the bag.

Gwen turned and stuck her tongue out happily as her cousin slowly shrunk back to his 18 year old height.

"Oh fine Grandpa, but I was only getting ready for the trip." he said with a slight laugh.

"Ben, your 18 for Gods sake! The Omnitrix isn't a toy!" Gwen barked. She glared her cousin down and turned sharp on her heel, heading towards the back of the camper.

"Now you two, don't start fighting." Max said with a groan.

"Fine!" Ben spat, marching into the camper past his grandfather and Gwen, bumping hard into her shoulder as he went, only making her raise her fist.

"Gwendolen don't yo-" Max began, but was cut off. A sharp flash of light went off between the two teenagers and shot them both back a few feet.

"GWEN! BEN!" Max yelled through the light.

"Grab her and leave the boy!" a voice yelled. A roaring noise rose around Gwen and she tried opening her eyes through the blinding color.

"GWEN!" she heard her cousin shout after her. Arms linked around her waist and she felt herself being lifted into the air. She reached for the arms, only to have something pinch her hard on her neck.

"HELP!" She screamed, but it didn't even feel like it came out as a sound.

"GWEN! PUT HER DOWN!" Ben's voice called. Gwen felt her body go limp and the blinding light vanished. Everything vanished, and then she felt nothing.

It seemed like forever had gone by before she could feel anything, and what she did feel was silk. Silk bedding, and lots of fluff, maybe a pillow under her head. Was she in a bed? Was she in a comma?

She tried moving and felt her hands tied together above her head. Her legs left free, but she couldn't move them anyway, she was still trying to wake her body up.

"I think it's coming to, Gorg." a voice said in a giggle. It was like a gentle laugh even without the laughter, warm and… kind.

"It is, look, it's fingers are twitching!" the other voice nearly squealed in excitement. Gwen forced open her eyes, and at first everything was one big black blur. But soon two people were right in her face.

"Hi." the first said, she gasped and jumped slightly. The first was male, his ears positioned on the top of his head in blond hair, like a puppies they were long and droopy. His eyes were bright gold, and his hands hand a paw like quality to them. From his waist down though was the reason she had jumped.

A snakes tail stretched downward from the hip joint to the floor. The green scales shimmering as if covered in glitter. "Are you comfortable, miss?" the second asked.

Gwen turned to see another, female this time. She was brunette and had no puppy ears, instead she had white scales on the left side of her face, golden red eyes, and a shimmering purple tail.

"Wh... where am I?" Gwen swallowed out, and the women giggled and slithered behind the first with a blush.

"You're on our ship, we brought you here for our prince." the man said proudly.

"Don't worry, he isn't anything like us. He's human like you... well... almost." the girl giggled. Gwen slowly sat up and confirmed she was in a bed of black silk and satin pillows.

"Would you like anything?" the girl asked, her hands on the mans shoulders. On closer inspection, the man was much taller than the girl, maybe he was older?

"I could use some water." Gwen said quickly.

Perhaps they weren't her enemy after all. They would surely have killed her already if that were the case, not treated her with this awkward kindness. If your enemy is friendly, they may not be the enemy.

"I'll get it." The snake woman said in a sweet tone, slithering off at an unbelievable pace.

"Miss?" the boy asked. She looked over to him, a little shaken.

"Y-yea?" Gwen asked, her hands in her lap. The rope had come off when she'd sat up, but the snake-man didn't seemed to care.

"Will you make our prince better for us? He's been very sad as of late." the man said, sitting on one side of the bed, "he won't eat as much, he stares off into space, we don't know what to do." he said in a defeated tone.

Gwen looked around the room, it was covered in drawings and paper, ones that each had a string of beads tapped on every wall.

"I...I don't know how I can help." she said gently. The mans eyes saddened, giving her a pang of guilt and she quickly sputtered out. "But I'll see what I can do."

He smiled happily, a kind and warm smile, "My name is Hinu. That was my mate, Gorg." he said happily.

"I'm Gwendolen." she said gently, extending her hand for him. Hinu took it with a smile, they felt like normal hands.

"Our Prince will be back soon, we will wait for him with you." he said happily. Gorg nearly flew in it seemed a second later, holding a wine glass flute filled with what Gwen hoped was water.

She extended it toward her with a giggle and tapped her nails on the glass. Gwen took it with a shaky hand and sniffed it. No scent.

She sipped it cautiously, and then downed the glass. A few moments of silence went by before she handed it back.

"Our prince is coming!" Hinu said quickly, his ears perking.

"We'll leave you two alone." Gorg said with a bright blush.

"Wait-" before Gwen could get her words out the two had slithered out the room. Now she could hear footsteps from down what looked like a hallway. She looked around and then down at her shirt. A moment of confusion displayed across her face.

"What happened to my clothes?" she puzzled aloud to herself.

A blue velvet spaghetti strap with a V cut that showed off enough of her bust for her liking. She pulled it up and pulled at her black pants, rubbing her legs, trying to get feeling back into them.

A dark figure soon walked in, leaning in the doorway. His face concealed by shadows. He had broad shoulders and wore nothing but black, on his wrists were tight bracelets, a pad lock hanging from his neck.

"I don't believe it." the voice mused, "Of all people." he said in a heated tone.

Gwen sat up straight as his face came into view. "KEVIN!" she nearly screamed.

He laughed, his face had matured, and his lip had been pierced. He still adorn himself in eyeliner, and they only seemed to darken his already angry eyes. "Surprised Gwen?"

"Gwendolen!" she spat back.

"Whatever." Kevin said stepping forward into the light, "What oh what are you doing on my ship?" he asked, crossing his arms as he headed toward her.

"What are you doing in human form and out of the generator!" she spat grabbing the sheets on the bed.

"Oh, that?" he laughed and leaned forward, "I still need to punish you for that you know." he said with a smirk.

"Answer my question!" Gwen barked, but Kevin stood straight and shrugged.

"They got me out, changed me back, helped me with my powers. All that bullshit. Then split second later decided they liked having me around." he gave her a smile, "Much more than I can say for you and your cousin, aye?"

She glared at him as he started toward her again. "You're the one who went crazy!" she hissed. He laughed and kicked off his combat boots before sitting on the bed.

Gwen tried to move away, but only got pinned down under Kevin's arms and chest. "Hold up bitch." he said with a smirk, his hair falling next to hers, "How did you get on my ship, I answered your question, you answer mine." he said, his grip tightening on her wrist.

She gasped and rose slightly under him. "Gorg and Hinu." she squeaked out.

Kevin loosened his grip and smiled. "Oh, those two, figures." he said with a sigh.

"LET ME GO!" Gwen screamed after a moment in rage.

"Why, are you uncomfortable?" he asked her with a laugh.

"Kevin your HURTING me!" she said as his grip got tighter, she felt her eyes water and she looked away from him.

"Don't you dare." he grabbed her wrists in one hand above her head and forced her face toward his with the other, "I've been alone with half snake things for the past god knows how many years, the least you could do is talk to me." he barked.

She glared at him, into those almost empty eyes. "Oh, don't act so tough, you look stupid that way, you screw up that face." Kevin said with a laugh. Gwen let out an outraged huff and bucked under him, only to feel just how close he was.

"I suggest you don't struggle, Gwenafer. Unless you like it rough." Kevin said pressing his leg down against her.

Her eyes widened and she pushed back into the bed. "IT'S GWENDOLEN!" she shouted.

He only laughed and retied her hands, this time to a center bedpost that was sticking up from the middle of the headboard.

"What should I do with you?" he asked aloud, rolling off of her. He sat up in the bed and played with a strand of her hair. She turned her face and tried to bit his finger when he started twisting the strand. He only snatched his hand away with a laugh.

"Still have a smart mouth, don't you?" he asked, watching her struggle against the rope. Gwen tried over and over again to move her legs, but to no avail. Kevin sighed after a while and laid next to her.

"What have you been up to?" he asked, arms under his chin.

"Why do you care?" Gwen barked back as Kevin laughed and brushed hair from her face.

"I just wanted to start a conversation." he said with a smirk. "Your cousin blown himself up yet?" he asked with a snide smirk.

Gwen rolled her hips and was able to swing enough of her legs over in Kevin's direction to kick him, but he just grabbed the limp limb and stuck it between his own legs.

"Don't try and attack me while your handicapped." he said simply. She tried pulling away but her struggles were in vain.

"Why are you such a jerk?" she spat out, her body shivering from the struggle of movement. Kevin smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

"Well lets see." he lifted one finger into the air, "Social outcast." he lifted another finger, "Beaten as a child for having my powers." he lifted another finger, "I ran away at a young age, had to learn things the hard way, fend for myself you know." another finger went up, "Your cousin screwed my life over." he lifted his thumb, "You help trap me in a fucking endless void of screaming monsters and things trying to rip me open from the inside out." he sighed.

"And lets just say I've been through hell and back. I've seen things that you couldn't even dream up in horror films." his tone grew bitter as he pushed her legs away and stood off the bed, "I don't know why they brought you here, but you're not leaving." he turned and started walking away.

"KEVIN UNTIE ME AND LET ME GO!" Gwen screamed, thrashing on the bed.

He kept walking but glanced back, "I intend to sleep in my bed when the sun is out of view." he slammed the door to the room on his way out.

Gwen struggled against the bindings for a while longer, tears of frustration leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Her wrists had turned raw, her legs tingling in such a way it made her want to scream, she fell back onto the bed with a heavy groan.

The door from before slowly opened, the tip of a purple snake like tail slipping around the handle. "Miss?" Gorg's soft voice called into the room, "Are you decent?" she asked gently.

"Yes, just get me out of this!" Gwen gasped out as the bindings cut into her wrists even tighter. Gorg took a chance and looked into the room, her long white shirt flowing around her as she moved forward quickly with a small knife.

"I'm sorry Miss. Our prince normally isn't this aggressive." she said with a gentle flick of her wrist on the ropes.

Gorg had her hair tied up behind her now, a gentle braid to her waist. She helped Gwen into a sitting position and slid back gently to the edge of the bed, her tail wrapping around her stomach as if protecting it.

Gwen leaned against one of the bed posts and wiped her eyes, looking around quickly. "Why did you two bring me here!" she barked back at the half women. Gorg winced gently and her tail slithered back.

"I-I'm sorry miss… Hinu said it was a good idea, he likes to talk about you..." Gorg blushed and looked at her hands on her tail.

"Hinu doesn't even know me!" Gwen nearly screamed, tossing up her hands.

Gorg looked up quickly in surprise and shook her head. "Oh no miss, not my Hinu! I meant Kevin, he talks about you a lot." Gorg said in a soft voice, rubbing her belly through the shirt. Gwen noticed a slight bulge in the woman's waist but ignored it.

"He's awful lonely miss, I know it's none of my business… and it may be just a bit to bold to say." Gorg looked at the tip of her tail as it flipped up and down, as if it was impatient, "But, I believe he just wants a… mate... if you will."

Gwen stared at her for a moment, before crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Kevin is nothing but a selfish jerk." she huffed.

Gorg looked up with a soft smile, "I said the same thing when I first met him." she nearly whispered, "But you really have to get to know him miss." Gorg slithered to her tail on the ground, an action Gwen considered standing.

"Would you like anything? I'm having your bed brought in soon." she blushed a bright pink and held her stomach, "I'd have brought it myself... but Hinu told me not to carry anything heavy with the baby on the way." she giggled and let strands of bangs fall in her face.

Gwen looked her over again, it was odd to see something half human, pregnant. Gorg was quiet but polite to her though, she seemed to be trying to help, even if it was an odd form of help.

"I'm… a little hungry." Gwen said truthfully.

Gorg's eyes shot up with a sparkle. "Oh I can help you with that miss! I'll whip something up right away!" her voice was chipper, she turned around and started toward the door. Gwen looked at her retreating form and felt something flip.

"Gorg." the snake women turned again, a hand holding her belly.

"Yes, miss?" she asked.

"Call me Gwendolen." she said with a small smile.

Gorg smiled back, looking back with a gleam in her eyes, "Anything special you want?" she asked, her tail sliding across the floor gently. Gwen simply shook her head 'no' with a laugh.

"At the moment my head hurts a little to much to be picky. Whatever you cook should be fine." she said with a sigh. Gorg nodded and hurried out the room, her tail making a soft scrapping noise across the floor as she left, closing the door behind her gently.

Gwen mustered enough strength to cross her legs and began to take in the room. It must have been Kevin's bedroom. The beddings were all black, some shards of glass shaped like skeletons, hung on the wall. Stylish yet creepy at the same time… how charming.

Gwen glanced at the floor, marble tiling it seemed, the crevasses filled with something she couldn't tell, nor did she want to.

Maybe it was for Gorg and Hinu and all the other creatures, to make it smoother as they slid across the ground. If there even were other creatures like those two. She leaned against the bed and let out a sigh, her body aching slightly through the comfort of the sheets.

She looked above her and let out a shaky breath. "I wanna go home." she breathed out, tears slipping back out from the corners of her eyes, "I just wanna go home." she shut those sharp green orbs and started sobbing in silence.

Through the slight crack in the door a green light shown heavily from the top, unnoticed to the crying Gwen. A grunt and the shine snapped closed, the door along with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen had never known true silence unless Ben was asleep, but even then it only lasted for a few fleeting moments before he began to snore. At her own home she never really got silence anyway, whether she was at her mothers house with that blasted broken ceiling fan, or at her fathers house with the hum of the air conditioning always blowing above her head.

Yet here on this ship, it was quiet, an odd sort of calm unfit for her depressed mood. She dozed off a few times, every now and then waking up to a thunking noise, but then dozed off again out of sheer boredom.

A louder thunk woke her from her dazed sleep this time and she sat up to see Hinu setting up a cot in the corner of the room.

"I see you've finally woken up, Gwendolen." he said as he turned, dropping a greenish blue pillow onto the center of the bed.

She just looked around a while, running her fingers through her hair. "Gorg's coming down the hall, don't keep her to long." Hinu said as he slithered out, shutting the door behind him with a bit of force.

Hinu's attitude seemed the opposite of what he had been showing off when Gwen had first met him. Because of that she glared at the door for a moment before sitting up completely, testing the strength in her legs. She lifted her feet quickly and dangled them over the side of the bed, letting her socked feet touch the floor.

She held onto one of bedposts and lifted herself slowly, even then a sharp, painful feeling in her feet began to tear its way across the bottom of her heals, Gorg slipped in quickly after that, carrying a tray.

"Oh Gwendolen, don't try and get up just yet!" she said quickly with a spark of energy in her voice. She placed the tray down on a table beside the cot and hurried to Gwen's side as she fell forward.

Gwen felt Gorg's tail wrap around her waist and her hands help her to her feet. "You'll pull something deary, let me help you." she said gently, lifting Gwen up off of her sore feet and ripped feeling thighs as she began to slither toward the cot.

Gwen's stomach bubbled as she felt the muscles under Gorg's scales rub against her clothes. It was an odd enough feeling, but it wasn't anything to make her sick. In an odd way the scales on Gorg's tail felt... comforting, if that was the word she was looking for.

Gwen reached her hand out to the blue cover of the cot and plopped face first onto it, her arms under her chin. "So what exactly DID you cook, Gorg?" Gwen ventured to ask as she rubbed her socks together, trying to look over at the table.

Gorg smiled brightly and sat next to her on the bed with a smile. "Well, Kevin told me your into organic foods, so I tried my luck with a few things and got this." she turned gently and put the tray out in front of her.

Gwen pondered in angry tones just how Kevin, of all things that breathed, would know what she liked to eat. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, she'd ponder that unpleasant thought later. Much later.

Set in the center of the plate was a creamy white sauce with a splash of green on that. "Vegetable Lasagna, a homemade coffee cake I found the recipe for and hot cocoa... I made two cups if you want me to stay with you for a while." Gorg said in a shy manor.

Gwen looked over the food and took in the aroma, she looked up at the snake creature and felt a smile ease across her face.

"I'd like a little company." Gwen replied happily. Maybe she could get along with Gorg well enough to get her to send her home. She sat up gently on her elbows and smiled as she formed a plan. "Soooo, what am I really doing here? Besides being company for Kevin The All Mighty Ass?" Gwen asked, picking up the fork.

Gorg only shook her head with a laugh, she poured two cups of the milk chocolate drink and handed one to Gwen. "Careful, it's still hot." she said in a motherly tone.

Gwen laughed and sat up more. "I'm serious Gorg." she said calmly, the snake woman smiled again and blew on her drink. "It was Hinu's idea really, Gwendolen. I just wanted the boy off my case." she smiled and pinched off a piece of the coffee cake.

"Really though, Kevin isn't that bad of a person."

"Oh no, he's worse." Gwen said as she stabbed the creamy sauce covered noodle and shoved it into her mouth. Gorg giggled gently as Gwen swallowed the hot food quickly and fanned her hand outside of her mouth.

"Geez!" she squeaked as she started blowing outward. Another fit of laughter. "Don't be in such a rush Gwendolen, things are never as they appear." Gorg said with a sip of her drink.

Her tail flipped up happily beside her on the opposite side of the plate and caught Gwen's eye.  
"Gorg..." she started to say.

"Yes, Miss Gwendolen?" Gorg asked her back gently, placing the cup on the tray.

"Can I ask you a question?" she ventured as she stabbed a smaller portion of the food onto her fork.

"Of course you can, anything." Gorg said sweetly, her face slightly flushed.

Gwen blew on the food and glanced at the shimmering purple scales once again. "Well, how is it... how is it you got your tail? Were you born with it, or was some magic involved?" Gwen blew on the food again before sticking it in her mouth to avoid eye contact with the other woman.

Gorg sighed and looked up at the ceiling, her thoughts were visible running across her face as she decided which answer would be best suited.

"Magic was involved, yes. Magic and science..." she said simply after a pause. Gwen began to chew on her lower lip in the silence and then looked up to her.

"I'm sorry." The snake woman laughed warmly at Gwen's response, her hand to her mouth.

"Oh dear no, there's nothing to be sorry about!" she smiled and ran her hand across a scale on her cheek.

"This happened a very, very long time ago." she smiled and took up her cup again. She blew the steam away and smiled.

"… How about we take questions in moderation. I tell you something and you tell me something?" Gwen asked quickly after a silence was broken by her thoughts.

Gorg smiled and nodded at the idea. "Alright then! I actually do have a question for you." Gorg told her happily as Gwen took a bit of the coffee cake and swallowed.

"Shoot it by me." She told the naga woman.

The snake women smiled happily, "What's it like to wear socks again?" she asked with a thoughtful smile. Gwen couldn't help but laugh a bit at the thought.

"Well… geez, I never really thought about it." she replied, laughing a bit more.

"Well, I know it's a stupid question, but it's a question none the less." Gorg said, her face the color of a cherry as she tried to calm down. She sipped once more at the emptying cup and Gwen sighed through her laughter and wiggled her toes.

"… Sweaty." Gwen finally said with a smile, it only made Gorg laugh into her drink and let the silence develop over them again. Gwen saw this as her turn for a question, and opened her mouth.

"Gorg." Hinu's voice snapped through the silence and Gwen's interrupted thought. The snake woman stayed in her seat, but turned her face to the shadowy figure in the doorway.

"Yes, Hinu?" Gorg said in a timid voice, her body stiff in one quick movement.

_'Just when I was getting her to open up.' _Gwen thought, throwing a tiny glare at the male. She shook her head as he slithered into the room and held out a bottle to Gorg, he didn't give Gwen any notice.

"You left your pills on the bed. I was worried." he said as he tail tip curled by hers. Gorg laughed and stood, placing her cup down.

"You worry to much, love." she said gently. He shook his head and gave a soft smile.

Gwen saw a glint in his eyes like the first time she'd seen him, he was happy again. Gwen couldn't help but wonder if Hinu was going through some kind of alien science experiment gone wrong form of PMS. A smile broke out on her face at the thought.

Gorg smiled and picked up her cup again and turned back to Gwen with a smile. "It's getting a little late Miss Gwendolen." Gorg said and gave a fake yawn.

"We'll leave you be for now." she gave a wink and hurried out after Hinu in a giggle. Gwen let her jaw drop and gave out a huff of annoyance, rolling over onto the bed again to finish eating.

Outside the closed door stood a dark figure, tall and bulky. Gorg stood behind Hinu, facing the figure.

"She's very annoying isn't she?" the creature asked, gruff and bitter.

Hinu seemed to be biting his tongue, his fist clenched. "Gwendolen is only human." he seemed to remind the figure.

Gorg held out the bottle in her hand. "Just take two, it'll give you three days more." she said gently. Hinu watched as the shadowy hand took the bottle slowly, as if daring him to come any further.

"You can go." the voice barked out, it gave off a low groan after a gulping sound was made, then no noise was heard. A moment later the door opened as the figure entered the room in silence.

Gorg looked back at the door and bit her lip. "She'll be alright… won't she?" she asked looking back at Hinu, taking his hand.

"She will, that's why I picked her." he said with a smile. He lifted her hand and gave it a small kiss. "Let's go." he said with a smile, and Gorg followed him with a smile, humming tunelessly.


	3. Chapter 3

To Gwen's dismay, as soon as she was halfway done with her food Kevin seemed to just stomp right into the room, as if he owned the place.

Not that he couldn't though, it was _his_ room after all, but he could have at least had some manors and knocked to see if she was decent.

Then again... he was Kevin.

She didn't look up at him again after confirming it was him, she kept her gaze low. Gwen went right back to her food, and Kevin just kicked off his shoes and dropped onto his bed, pulling a pillow over his head and groaning with a snort of disgust after that.

_'What's his problem?'_ Gwen thought as she took a sip of her drink and then stared at what was left of her food. A few moments of silence passed before she put the tray back on the table beside her little cot.

She rolled over, facing the wall now and let out a soft sigh, resting her head on a pillow that had been given to her. This was nice, quiet, no one to bug-

"OWW!" she squeaked as a sharp pinch rendered to her back thigh. She rolled over quickly, only to see Kevin hadn't moved an inch… but there _was_ a rubber band by her legs.

She glared and put it on her fingers, stretching it back as she took ain, "Hey Kevin," The so-called goth boy lifted his head from under the pillow and Gwen let the rubber band fly, "duck."

Kevin lifted the pillow with the same unapt expression and then sighed. "What got you into a playful mood?" he asked, running his tongue over his lip ring as his hand reached for the rubber band.

She stared at him, mouth open slightly in anger. "You shot the rubber band at me first!" she erupted, stabbing the air accusingly with her finger. Kevin looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I do believe _you_ did that, Gwenafer, you woke me up and then threw… this at me." he sat up, holding onto the band with two fingers. "Now why is that I wonder?"

"It's Gwendolen!" she barked back. "And I didn't start this, you did! You're the only other person in the room." she crossed her arms and sat Indian style on the cot.

"Why would I throw this at you?" he asked in a tired, baffled look. Gwen opened her mouth, then after a few minutes shut it again.

"My point exactly, you started it." Kevin stretched the rubber ring across his fingers and fired it at Gwen, to which she grabbed a pillow and blocked it, glaring across the room at him.

"JERK!" she shouted from behind the pillow. "You did it first, just to annoy me!" she said as she started standing up. Kevin only rolled his eyes and laid back on the bed.

Gwen clenched her fists. _'Never be quick to anger, never be quick to anger, never be-'_

"I'd really like it if you'd sit your ass back down, your greasy hair is glaring off the lights into my eyes." Kevin said from beneath a sheet.

"UGH!" Gwen ran at him with her pillow in hand and Kevin sat up quickly, getting smacked across the shoulder. "Egocentric, apathetic, jack-ass!" Gwen shouted as she hit Kevin with the pillow again, only a lot harder this time.

"Bitch, you are _not_ starting a pillow fight!" Kevin said as he grabbed one of his own black pillows.

Gwen's only response was a quick slap across the back of the head with her pillow. "_Fine_, you asked for it." Kevin said with a cocky smirk. And the war began.

Down the hall in a different room, Gorg sat with her tail curled around her stomach on the bed, a book in one hand and a cup of mostly cream rather than coffee in the other. The room was very simple, dark walls and red beddings. Hinu was laying beside her, arms behind his head as he looked at the ceiling, he stared with glazed eyes until Gorg pinched him.

"What was that for?" he asked her in a sharp tone, and Gorg set her cup down and marked her book.

"For being an ass." she stood on her tail and slithered over to a dresser.

"But I didn't do anything, Gorg!" he whined, Gorg turned at him and smiled, giggling after she shook her head.

"I know." she laughed happily and tossed him a different shirt, this one a blue tank top.

"I'll be glad when you have that kit." he grumbled as she came back to the bed. He leaned over her bulging stomach and planted a raspberry kiss there. Gorg giggled madly and blushed.

"Quit it." she squeaked out as Hinu smiled and rubbed her belly, then undid his ears from their ponytail and let one drop to her stomach.

"… What are you doing now, Hinu?" Gorg asked him softly as she played with strands of his hair.

"Listening." he said with a smile and matter of fact grin. Gorg rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Don't listen to long, momma's got to get her baby to bed." she smiled as she ruffled his ears.

"I still say it's a boy." Hinu whispered as he lifted his head from her belly.

"And I still say she's a girl, now turn off the light so I can sleep you silly goose." Gorg said as her tail slid back around her belly.

Hinu ruffled her hair and turned out the light, then leaning back as Gorg rested her head on his chest.

"Night you." she mumbled simply.

Hinu smiled and then looked back at the ceiling, his smile fading over time. "Night." he figured she had gone to sleep, so he closed his eyes.

"KEVIN PUT ME DOWN YOU CHEATER!" Gwen screamed as Kevin lifted her onto his shoulder and began to walk back to her cot.

"It's not cheating when I'm tired of the game." he grumbled as Gwen hit him on the back with her pillow.

"Put me down!" she barked again.

"Fine." Kevin dropped her onto her cot and turned around.

"Let me sleep you hyper active brat." Gwen hit him again while he was still in reach with her pillow and glared. Kevin turned on his heal and glared back at her, grabbing her pillow from her.

"Hey! I was usi-umph!"

Kevin chucked the pillow back at her before crawling into bed. "You're not supposed to hit girls..." Gwen muttered as she pulled the pillow into her lap, but Kevin had already rolled over and smirked.

"Girl, where?"

Gwen pointed at him with a sneer. "She just spoke."

Kevin rolled his eyes and gave her the finger before rolling back over. "Go to sleep before I knock you out." he mumbled in a yawn.

"How are you tired?" she asked him, plopping back onto her own bed for now.

"Oh maybe because I didn't sleep the day away, so sorry." he grumbled.

Gwen rolled her eyes and smirked. She was sure she'd tired Kevin out, hopefully enough to keep him out and away from her. She let a few minutes pass by before deciding it was safe; he had to be asleep by now.

She sat up slowly and quietly, trying not to make any noise. She touched her socks to the ground and stood, looking quickly over at Kevin's bed.

He lay there on his back, pillow over his chest, hair in his face, drool coming out of the side of his mouth.

She shook her head and walked silently to the door which led to the hallway, or she assumed that's where it led. Quickly she pushed the door open, not making a sound and shut it behind her before being engulfed in darkness.

At least in Kevin's room there was a warm glow of light. She shook her head and put her hand along the wall, beginning to walk down the narrowing path.

The top of the hall seemed to expand oddly, and the floor was very slippery from what she guessed to be wax. She slipped a few times in her socks, but held her footing for the most part.

Soon she came to another door, she hesitated at first but pushed it open quietly. From the floor she could see a blue light emitting in the room. She gazed at the light a few moments before slipping inside to investigate.

Along one wall was a huge fish tank with... no fish in it. The tank seemed to connect to the wall and went further along the room, so whatever this thing held could just be between the wall area.

Gwen took a step forward and saw a table with clear pill bottles sprawled everywhere, each with a different type of pill in them. She slowly turned back to the tank and gasped.

There was a girl in there now, but not anything like her, or even Gorg.

"More like a mermaid?" a soft female voice said. Gwen turned quickly to see Gorg in the doorway, her nightdress flowing around her belly. The girl in the water blushed and hid behind long strands of seaweed. She had light blue skin and dark blue strands of hair to her waist.

Her tail hung out, splotched with green and yellow and she wore a green shirt covered by a netted top.

"Wha..." Gwen couldn't put together any more words.

"It's alright, Unta, you can come out." she girl shook her head with a blush and giggled in the water. She swam away behind the wall quickly.

"Again, Wha?" Gwen asked with a point. Gorg could only smile and laugh.

"She's my baby sister." Gwen did a double take at Gorg's tail and the retreated form of Unta.

"I'll explain in the morning, deary. I come here at night to feed her, she doesn't normally get company anymore. I'll go get her food." Gorg said and then paused, turning back with a serious expression, "Kevin's coming, by the way." And then she slithered out of the room.

"Wait!" Gwen huffed out and looked back at the tank.

Unta peeked out from behind the wall and smiled. "H-Hi." she said in an enormous blush. Gwen couldn't help but smile back at the timid childlike girl. "Hey."

The door opened and Kevin walked in yawning. "Hey fish bait." he said with a wave to the blue haired female.

Unta ducked back behind the seaweed, shivering almost, before retreating behind the wall again. Out of sight.

"Gwen, what does 'Go. To. Bed.' mean?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I want to go home." Gwen said sternly, crossing her arms in return.

"Wrong, it means get your ass between the sheets, shut the hell up, and fall asleep." Kevin smirked. "You even know that, right Unta?" he asked the girl hidden behind the wall.

"G-go b-back to y-your room!" she whimpered out.

Kevin pushed Gwen toward the door gently. "Get back in bed." he grumbled. "And don't worry, I'll escort you to make sure you get there."

The mer-child peered out from behind the wall, with a whisper she called out. "See you later." she waved as Kevin pushed Gwen down the hall.

"Bed."

"But-"

"Yours should be in bed, now get!" he gave her another push.


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen felt her body being shoved onto the bed before her reaction could hit back. Kevin glared at her as he stomped toward the hall door. "I'm locking the door this time." he nearly growled.

The red head crossed her arms and glared back in equal force at the so called 'Prince' ran his hand over the door, sealing it off. He slumped his shoulders painfully and groaned. "You're such a bitch, you know that?" he barked out after a pause, turning toward his bed.

"Look who's talking." Gwen mumbled back, laying flat and turning toward the wall again.

"Shut up Gwenafer, it's your fault for being so God damn hyper." he growled out and started to mutter.

"It's your fault for _kidnapping_ ME!" she shouted at the wall.

"It was never my idea to kidnap you, moron. Gorg and Hinu did it, not me!" Kevin's voice became muffled as he crawled under his sheets and covers, arguing back. Gwen bit her bottom lip to keep from saying anything.

She felt a small amount of blood slip off her lip and into her mouth; the thick stale taste reminded her of copper; she could have gagged. Now her lip was cut, she was still angry, and the lights had just shut off.

She pulled her hands under her chin and stared at the wall. _'I will get home. I don't know how.'_ she pulled the covers over her body. _'But I WILL get home.'_

A purple tail ran across the floor, slipping back and forth between a wall and a tank. Gorg laughed gently with her younger sister, smiling as she sat down on the floor. The blue haired mer-child smiled happily back at her sister and swam to the glass. "You alright?" the young girl asked happily.

"Oh, I'm fine Unta, just tired. I can't move as well with the baby." she said with a smirk. "You'll be an auntie you know, dear." Unta blushed under her blue skin, hiding behind her green and yellow tail.

"I-I'm to young to b-be an auntie." she said timidly.

"Nonsense." Gorg chirped, smiling at her little sister.

Her smile faded as she placed her hand on the glass tank. "I'm sorry Unta... It's my fault." Gorg smiled and tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she shook her head. Unta pressed her hand back to the glass and shook her head.

"No… it's not." she whispered back, Gorg wiped her eyes and shook her head. "You don't have to try and make me feel better dear." Gorg wrapped her tail around her belly again.

"It's my fault any of us are here though." Gorg breathed, but Unta stopped, pulling her hand from the glass and swimming to the top of the tank, lifting herself very lightly out of the water.

"Is not." she whispered before ducking back in. Her voice had changed, no longer garbled by bubbles from the water, but gentle, shy, everything Gorg had remembered it to be before this.

Unta came to the corner of the wall and smiled. "Y-you should go to b-bed sissy." Unta said with a gentle smile.

Gorg laughed gently and smiled. "You're right." she lifted herself off her tailed bottom and sighed, "This is getting harder and harder." she mumbled, "Good night Unta, Dear." she said in a wave.

"Good night...Raven." Unta whispered back, after the door had closed.

Gwen woke to the smell of pancakes and something foreign to her nose. She sat up gently, cover still on her head, and for a moment she couldn't place where she was. With a swift tug of the sheet, it fell off and enabled her to look around.

_'That's right, I'm not back with Grandpa or Ben.'_

"Morning Ms. Gwendolen." a happy female voice came, one she was getting used to. Gwen turned to the door to see Gorg slipping in, bearing a tray pilled with food.

"How on Earth are you a morning person?" Gwen groaned, and Gorg smiled and slithered beside her.

"Unfortunately I've been up for a while, bathroom and cooking and all that." Gorg said with a smile, a hand on her pregnant belly.

Gwen smiled and shook her head. _'If nothing else I know I can confide in her.'_ Gwen thought.

"So, what do you want for breakfast dear? I cooked up several things, I'm still not used to _your_ eating habits just yet." Gorg said sweetly, her hair in a long braid down her back and over her red maternity blouse.

She sat next to Gwen with the tray and held up a cup of hot chocolate, Gwen took that moment to look over at Kevin's bed, hoping to rub in the fact that she was getting breakfast in bed, but noticed he wasn't there.

"Where did 'Prince charming' run off to?" Gwen asked bitterly as she took the cup, blowing on it before taking a sip.

Gorg giggled and shook her head, standing. "You know, my dear," Gorg left the tray beside Gwen's bed, "for someone who says they hate Kevin..." she slithered to the door and opened it gently, "You sure seem to think about him a lot." and in a blink the snake woman was gone.

Gwen's jaw dropped and she nearly screamed in anger. She stood and headed toward the door, placing a hand on the knob. She turned and pushed, but it was locked.

"ASSHOLE!" Gwen shouted at the door; she could only imagine how hard Kevin must've been laughing at her. She stomped back to her cot and picked at her food, emanating a sulky vibe at anyone or anything that should come in.

She could only assume that Gorg's orders had been to keep her confined, it wasn't her fault that Kevin was a bastard.

The room was lined with newspaper clippings as dolls without heads hung in one corner by their feet. The one doll with a head had brown hair, the rest of them were tattered and torn to pieces. "Stupid fucking bastard…" Kevin growled.

He lifted his hand, palm up, glaring at the doll as it hovered on its string, spinning in a circle above his hand. A flame sparked in his palm, then the spark of fire began to grow rapidly before his own eyes. He threw his hand toward the doll and burned off its head.

Kevin fell to his knees and looked back up at the ceiling, a black and white picture of a girl was taped there. "Why did you have to be related to him. To _him_ of all people." he fell on his back, legs sprawled out, looking up at the picture.

He reached his hand up toward the ceiling, but he wouldn't reach.

"Why can't I get to you… you're so close but I can _never_ fucking touch you..." he growled and glared at the picture, "Sometimes I see you as nothing but a bitch." he stared, but the picture never moved.

The dark silhouette of the picture stayed still, hands in the air as she squealed happily after a victory. Kevin put his hand on his face and pulled at stands of his hair, looking at the dark figure no one but him could seem to see.

He rolled over and looked at a box in the room, crawling over to it before standing up. He pulled out another doll and a small rope, tying it to the ceiling, soon to be added to his headless collection.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Ben found himself waking up with something cold blowing into his nose and parted lips, he couldn't even see clearly yet. The first thing he did was reach to his mouth to block the cold, but there was something there already.

He pulled it down to his neck and opened his eyes, everything was foggy but at least now he could see. He was in a hospital room, his body felt numb at first, then everything just stung.

"Gr… Grandpa?" he mumbled out, feeling a heavy weight on his arm and his voice an almost nonexistent whisper.

"Don't worry about moving Ben, ok?" he heard him say; he sounded so far away. "You've got a pick line in, and you need to put the oxygen mask back on, you've got a semi-collapsed lung."

Ben tried sitting up, but found he was in too much pain, "Wh... what happened?" he asked, pulling the mask with the cold air back to his face as he started to wheeze.

"You... you were trying to get Gwen back. You fought... something. Looked like a Naga, but, it's ears..." Max trailed off and Ben closed his eyes.

_'That's right, that thing… it threw me with that tail. What did I land on?'_ he rested his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, too tired to keep thinking.

"Gwendolen?" Gorg called out into the room, coming through the door a few moments after she had left.

Gwen, her hair ruffled from slight frustration looked up and visibly relaxed, "Yes Gorg?"

The naga woman smiled weakly, hand on her stomach. "I wanted to ask you something..." she said gently, slithering to the floor in front of Gwen.

"Sure, what is it?" Gwen questioned.

Gorg smiled and looked at the ground, then to her tail. "Well, I overheard the pri-I mean, Kevin... well. I overheard him tell Hinu that... you know magic." she kept her eyes to her tail.

"I do Gorg." Gwen said, slightly confused, "Why?" she tried catching the other woman's eyes.

"... My sister." Gorg answered after a long moment. "My sister was made by pure magic." she shrunk to the waist of her tail, then looked toward the door quickly, a scared face.

Gwen looked toward the door as well to see Kevin looming in the archway. "Gorg..." his voice was sharp and full of poison. The snake like woman shuddered and slithered out of the room quicker than any of Ben's aliens ever had.

Gwen looked back at Kevin, malice dripping from her frown as she stood, her hands clenched.  
Kevin only smirked, "Is someone mad at me now?" he took a few steps forward, that evil, twisted smirk smeared on his face.

_'Thank you Gorg.'_ She smiled, finally remembering she had the means to fight back.

"Well? Cat must have your tongue, or did Fish bait get it?"

"Paralysis Projectiles!" Gwen threw her now purple flaming fist toward Kevin, the fire shooting toward him at incredible speed.

Kevin's smirk only widened as he simply dodged it, "Well now Gwenafer, seems your aim is off." Gwen's face only reddened as she ran toward him shouting the 'spell' again.


	5. Chapter 5

After an intense amount of magic spells and curses shouted, Gwen was on her knees by her bed, exhausted. "Now, Gwen. Did you really think I'd have spent my entire time up here doing nothing?" He rubbed his shoulder, a large bruise forming. "Although, I see you were practicing too." he said as a small trickle of blood ran across his hand.

Gwen only panted, she was sore all over and tired as she leaned into the bed with a groan. Kevin walked toward her with a serious face. Gwen glared at him in anger. "Get away from me." she hissed out through her teeth.

Kevin only laughed in malice as he lifted her into his arms, she was to tired to resist anyway. "You need a bath, don't you?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Leave me the hell alone!" she whined, leaning into him and hitting his bruise.

Kevin only made a face and held her in a lower bridal style. "Chill out Gwen, you're in pain, even a moron could see that." he rolled his eyes and carried her out of the room. There were soft lights on in the hall now, doors lining the walls that she had never even felt glared at her.

"Right now you just need a bath, so don't be bitchy ok, I refuse to listen." he kicked open a door to the right and Gwen felt herself overcome by dizzy lights. She closed her eyes and felt Kevin lay her up against something cool.

"I'll call Gorg in here in a few minutes." he barked out before turning. Gwen opened her eyes gently and immediately saw Gorg in front of her. She let out a short scream and backed up into what little of a corner she could.

"Gwendolen, it's alright!"

Water splashed around her body and she soon realized that she was in a tub. She screamed again before attempting to cover herself, although a large amount of bubbles was doing that for her already.

"GORG! What were you _thinking_!" she squealed out, face red and out of breath.

"Gwendolen, when I came in here you were already in the tub, I just took the liberty of snipping off your under garments," the woman held up two soaked looking rags that had once been hers.

"I didn't think you'd be able to get comfortable in the water with those on... they were ripping anyway," Gorg was mixing something with the tip of her tail and throwing the wet clothes away with that warm smile.

Gwen couldn't really think straight now, her head was pounding through her skull and right between her eyes. "Ugh....how long have I been in here?" she managed to groan out.

"Oh, about half an hour I suppose? I just turned the water to sedative though, your skin won't wrinkle, nasty habit with the water. And it'll numb the pain too, I still can't believe you were that tired Ms. Gwendolen!" Gorg lifted the bowl into her hands with her tail and began to tinker with it with a sort of chemistry set she had set about her.

Gwen looked on for a few moments before turning her head, to tired to think about what on earth, or space ship, Gorg was doing with that bowl.

She sunk into the tub slowly until just her head was out of the water. Her muscles were crying out to her as something in the water started eating away her pain. It felt like heaven's version of awkward smelling bubble baths.

She cupped her hands and pulled them to her face, pure bath water in her hands, the tips of her fingers covered in bubbles. It was green, and not a slug slimy green.

A bright, neon green, like the color when Ben would change aliens with, it was also glowing the same color. She let it slip from her fingers, oddly freaked out, then began to stir the bubbles in front of her.

"I never would have gotten to take a bubble bath at home… " she said softly to herself, more than to Gorg.

The pregnant naga women smiled and put the bowl aside, crossing her arms over the side of the tub. "Why is that Ms. Gwendolen, I love hearing stories about people on Earth, makes me remember things." she rested her head on her arms, tail curling up around her belly.

Gwen giggled in a mild manner, right then Gorg looked like an eager child awaiting another story from there great grand parent, or great uncle or aunt. She smiled and tried getting comfortable against the glass wall of tile. "Well..."

Gorg quickly put a rolled up towel behind Gwen's neck as a pillow with a smile.

"Thank you, that feels better… but as I was saying, at the time of my whole kidnapping thing-"

"Sorry about that, again," Gorg interrupted, then made a face to match how adorable Gwen thought Hinu's ears were in sadness, "but do go on!"

Gwen smiled and continued. "Well, I was staying with my Grandpa and my cousin Ben. Grandpa travels in a camper, it's got all these gadgets and things, but Ben had to go and break the tub pull out." she said the last bit in a nasty voice.

"Now, it's only showers, nothing but showers, painful standing on my feet all day showers." she said simply. Gorg giggled, then the tip of her tail flopped onto the side of the tub next to her arms.

"Would this count as my feet?" she asked in a laugh. Gwen laughed to, she couldn't help herself. She sighed, then turned to the snake women gently.

"Gorg?" she asked.

"Hmm?" the brunette was paying attention.

"Why is Hinu so grumpy? First he was nice, then he was grumpy. And how did Kevin get up here, and why the title 'prince?' And what did you two mean by 'help our prince?' And why is that girl-Unta was her name, in a fish tank, and why-"

"Curiosity killed the cat my dear," Gwen frowned, but Gorg beamed at her, "but the answer brought it right back to life, so I'll see what I can do." Gwen smiled brightly, and Gorg giggled.

"Hinu is… odd like that. Back when we were human, he was always angry though. He never smiled, not for anything. When we were put in danger, he rescued us, then turned to me and smiled before passing out." she giggled.

"The very next day after that, he proposed to me." she giggled again madly.

"Well obviously you said yes." Gwen said with a smirk on her lips.

"No, I didn't." Gorg said truthfully. Gwen gasped. "I asked him what's your name first, then I'll say yes." she giggled again as Gwen shook her head.

"I'm not going to even jump that rope yet." she said simply. "How did Kevin get up here?" she asked again.

"Oh, well. I'm a scientist… sort of. I was playing around with a few toys, broke open a rift, Kevin and a few other things came tumbling out, and then we brought him along with us." she shrugged, avoiding her eyes.

"A few… other things?" Gwen said in an almost cold voice, Gorg seemed to be one to sugar coat things a lot.

"They were all dead, dead or nearly dead and loosing oxygen anyway." she shrugged and splashed a small bit of the green water at Gwen to try and turn the subject.

She splashed her back, before thinking.

"How does Kevin stay human?" she asked.

"Well well Gwen, don't you like to ask questions?" an unfairly familiar voice asked from the doorway.

"Kevin, get the hell out you PERVERT!" Gwen screamed in a calm anger, she was to relaxed to do anything else but shout at him anyway.

Gorg stood to what seemed the full height, Gwen guessed very high. Six, maybe seven feet without her tail.

"I refuse upon your intrusions of a ladies bath, now get out before I soak you with a sink nozzle." a faint British accent in her voice. She was angry. An angry Gorg, now Gwen had seen it all.

"Calm down Gorg. Please, you're pregnant for fucks sake. Hinu would wrestle me into a knot before I hit you back… not that I would," he grumbled, "you cook my food."

"But really," he continued, pulling off his shirt to reveal a six pack with a trying to form eighth. "your husband is turning tables, and I do mean that literally, looking for you. Blabbering something about a calendar." he shrugged.

"Oh, well… That's excusable, pardon me Gwendolen, I'll be back soon. Touch her and die." Gorg said in her sweetest voice that Gwen had heard, she slithered out of the room at the calm pace, humming.

Gwen sunk further into the tub, waiting for the nasty remarks, the puns, the jokes, but it never came. She sat up a little and took a glance in Kevin's direction.

He was leaning over a sink and cracking his knuckles with the one hand.

_'Great, he's going to beat me to death.'_ Gwen thought, _'I have enough magic for a protection, but it'll drain me really low for a while.'_ she sighed and thought through her photographic memory of spells and spell books.

"Gwen." she ignored him. "Gwen, you're bleeding." Kevin said simply. She gasped and opened her eyes, looking down at the water and her arms.

"That is a sign of too much stress my dear." he had taken Gorg's place beside the tub, a blush washing over her face and she turned the other way.

"Leave me alone." she snapped. She sat up straight in the tub, which was still deep enough for the water and bubbles to cover her chest.

"Geez you're tense," she felt his hands grab her shoulders in a squeeze and she grabbed his wrists with a glare.

"Would you relax? I'm trying to be a fucking happy helper so Gorg won't fry my ass. Bitch is a manic when she's mad… surpasses even Hinu." Kevin paused and then chuckled.

"And let me tell you, it's just unreal how powerful he is." all the while he was rubbing little circles into the tense muscles in Gwen's neck and shoulders.

She clenched her fists underwater after letting his wrist go, determined not to make a sound, but it felt so good.

"I think it's the food those two eat, weirdest shit ever, but anyway," he leaned forward over the tub, blowing bubbles onto her back as he worked on her neck with his breath. Somewhere along the line her back had turned to face him.

"How sore are you, on a scale from one to ten?" he asked in a bored voice. She didn't dare open her mouth, but held up eight fingers before shoving her hands back under the water.

_'Dear god, I don't know if I want him to quit,'_ she thought in a coo, _'I've never been this relaxed before. Where did he learn this?'_ she thought in an almost gasp as Kevin cracked a small section between her shoulder and arm.

The good kind of crack mind you. She wouldn't be able to hold it in any longer, she's purr if she was a cat.

"Haven't you ever heard of the word relax, Gwen? Geez, it's like you stand around 24 seven." another crack, and his hands moved lower down her back. "Are you even listening to me?" he drawled.

She waved her hand at him, then started to put it back in the water slowly, Kevin pressed his left hand into her back, and grabbed her retreating wrist with his right.

_'Crap, that feels sooo good.'_ Gwen felt so ashamed. She let out a soft coo in her throat and heard instant giggles. She turned her head sharply to the left.

Gorg and Hinu were in the cracked doorway giggling. "We'll leave you two alone." they shut the door and Kevin dropped her wrist.

His hands moved away from her back and he turned around, back to the tub. Gwen sunk in faster than he had, her face red, her brain splattered inside her head, and her common sense betraying her.

_'Oh god, I moaned! I MOANED!'_


	6. Chapter 6

"WHERE IS HE?! Is he alright?!"

"Edwin, please. You can't-"

"Move damn it! I have to see him!" a door slammed open and Ben sat up straight; a flash of light greeting him before he hit the pillow again, his head spinning from his sudden movement. He mumbled curse words before pulling the breathing mask off.

"Ben, oh God!" Edwin ran in as he pushed passed a nurse, he'd gotten much taller and his hair was a mess of black swept about his face, no longer kept up by jell. He threw his arms around the brunette boy in an almost sob, holding back his tears for fear of loosing his appearance.

"Good to see you too, Eddie. Now get off, you're crushing my ribs!" Ben gasped the last bit and the black haired boy let go quickly, he almost had the tears in his eyes roll down his face, but he kept them in, and was mortified for his friend to a physically alarming state.

"I'm sorry," he choked out, his eyes red and puffy and he stood next to the bed, taking Ben's hand for that secret greeting handshake. He smiled weakly at his hurt friend and sighed.

"They... they told me you… you wouldn't wake... wake up and..." he was stuttering hysterically throughout his speech.

Ben sighed and gripped his hand, pulling him forward with what strength he could muster. "Ed, calm down," he loosened his grip and relaxed on his pillow as Edwin shook his head and then smiled weakly.

"Those two nurses, Tamy and Beny… they take care of me just fine." Ben said gently. After a moment of silence Edwin flung himself back at Ben to hug him in a furry of apologies as a friend and for missing the club meetings. Ben let him, he wasn't hurting much anymore, and Edwin always seemed to know how to make him feel better.

He let out a light chuckle, it was always funny when Edwin was hysterical like this.

With a hard slam of a door, Gorg watched Kevin storm from the room, a towel and clothes in his arms. She followed him with her eyes, watching as his face turned a brighter shade of red.

"Well, I think things are moving along quit smoothly." the snake woman said with a giggle as she turned to her companion. His dog like ears fell back as he drew his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder.

"I love you, you know." he mumbled, Gorg laughed and ruffled his ears at his rough tone. She smiled as he whined when she moved away, listening to the curses from Kevin as he went along the hall.

The snake tail of the pregnant woman slithered between the two as she strode to the bathroom door and slipped inside. Gwen was sitting on the stool wrapped in a towel, her face red and her eyes lowered.

"Umm, that seemed like it went well?" the snake woman asked in an unsure voice. Gwen only shook her head.

"Clothes please." She said barely above a whisper, and moment's latter the brunette slithered out into the hall, which by now was emptied of the two snake creatures.

Gwen sat quietly in her new clothes, her face in her hands for a long time, her thoughts clashing. _'It was a natural effect, I was in pain. I shouldn't have had THAT big of a reaction though. But his hands felt good. Stupid, stupid! I shouldn't think like this! There has to be a reason I did it. Right?'_

With an unsettled groan she forced herself to her feet. _'Maybe he'll let me go home now.'_ she thought in a dry amusement as she walked toward the door in her blue themed clothing.

As she pushed the door open and hurried out, she was hit in the side by a person laughing. She fell on her butt and shook her head, looking up at the standing figure. It was a young boy, he looked a lot like Kevin.. yet much younger. As the light hit his head, she could spot a few red strands through the black, his blue eyes wide and frantic.

"S-shoot!" his voice was soft but stunned, his stutter gentle and smooth. He ran past her, around his neck a pad lock that looked just like Kevin's, only older and worn. Once the shock wore off she hurried to her feet and began to chase after him.

"Hey! Wait up! Please, stop running so fast!" she called as she hurried after him. The young boy zigged and zagged through doors and hallways. Gwen always a foot behind him, the red highlights of his hair swooshed around a corner and Gwen heard a door slam.

"Ha! I've got you cornered!" she called as she came to the door with a pant. She tried opening it by the handle, but the door itself was being blocked.

Gwen sighed and held her hand out, letting a red light consume it and then punched the door off its hinges. She coughed gently as dust flew from the hinges, looking through the room for the boy.

She suddenly shivered, not only was the room empty of life, it was full of hand sown dolls. Some were hanging from the ceiling by there feet, the heads and shirts burnt off, so who they were was impossible to tell.

"Wha....where?" she took a few steps in, ducking past the hanging figures and noticed a trunk inside the corner of the room, it's lid kicked away.

Nothing was inside but fabric, a few keys and papers strewn as well. She looked around and then noticed something red under a pile of papers by the corner.

She slowly walked toward it, her body sending off shivers. She knelt down and grabbed the red object, which happened to be fabric off of a doll. With a gentle tug she pulled it out, all the papers around it scattering.

She dropped the doll instantly and started backwards with a gasp.

Pictures of her, news paper articles, the doll, it was her. Scrolled across it in sharpie was a sloppy hand writing.

_'To Gwen.'_

"Get out." a sharp male voice hissed. "Get out right now!" Gwen turned to see Kevin standing in the doorway, his head down.

"What the hell is all-"

"I said get the FUCK out god damn it!" he looked up, his eyes green and his hands flaming. Gwen stepped back cautiously, she felt like she was going to cry. His voice was different, not anger, but sadness. Sadness and humiliation.

"Kevin..." she lifted her hand up gently.

"Shut up!" his voice screamed and he stormed toward her, before she could retaliate with any kind of spell he had pinned her to the wall by her shoulders. His hands felt warm to the touch through her shirt, her hair still dripping slightly.

"K-Kevin! That hurts, let go!" she gasped out, trying to pry his hands off of her shoulders. His black hair flew back, his eyes dulling so she could see his pupils.

"Why? Your nothing _but_ little miss perfect. Everything for you is always great, you can get away with ANYTHING!" his voice was on the verge of screaming, his rage now apparent; she'd struck a nerve.

This was the kind of man she knew him to be.

"Kevin let me GO! You're hurting me!" she shouted back, thrashing under his grip as she tried to pry him off.

"No. Your going to stay right where you are you saintly little bitch." his eyes glowed red now, his grip tighter, his hands burning her skin.

"_Everything_ you do is perfect. EVERYTHING you touch is worth something. Why you, huh? What the fuck is so great about _you_ and your fucking cousin!" he was shouting now, his voice echoing off the walls.

"Kevin stop it! You're losing control!" Gwen gasped, pulling desperately at his hands, her mind coming up blank for a spell to save her.

"Stop?! STOP?! You don't think I've tried that. Everyone thinks I'm losing control. Even my fucking PARENTS! Do you know how hard it is to be beaten by the people you idolized, huh?" he pushed her into the wall again.

"Of course you don't! You're miss FUCKIN' PERFECT aren't you?!" she screamed in pain, whimpering under his grasp.

She pulled gently at his arm. "Kevin... please... it... it hurts." she whispered slightly, wincing as her skin started smoldering slightly before any real harmful damage could happen.

He glared at her, pulling his hand away, the heat leaving as well and she whimpered as it cooled. His eyes discolored and tears poured from them as he just looked at her. "Why didn't you yell at me?" he asked her, holding her arms gently as she collapsed against him from the burning pain.

"Be… because, you needed to scream." she whispered, her hands trying to sooth her burnt arms. Kevin only sat in the floor, bringing her down with him.

"I won't say I'm sorry." he barked out in an angry tone. She only shook her head and began to heal her arm slowly.

"Tell me why you're angry, Kevin." she said after a moments silence. He huffed and pulled her into a sitting position so she could lean against his chest, her breathing was slow as she recovered.

"You're afraid of me. Everyone hates me." he barked. "You only say you want listen, no one ever really does... Especially not you." he looked away, but she could still hear him, his breath was stiff, sniffles.

"You know I'll listen, Kevin. I have to." she said simply, leaning against him until her arms regained strength. Once she felt them, she'd kill him.

"Whatever. My parent's were fucking bastards, ok? I had a fucked up childhood and my parent's blamed everything on me, you know that." he said, clenching his fists.

"How so?" she asked, she could move her pinky on her left hand now, but Kevin only scoffed.

"My dad beat me since I was three, my mother died trying to give birth to my young sister. A lot of good that did, my sister died too. My dad blamed me, beat me more, and got remarried. After that, I stopped going to school, my dad sent me to a councilor to 'work out my issues'." he sighed and rubbed her arm, it seemed like a habit he had. And this all seemed familiar to her.

"The fucking git never really listened, my dad paid him big money to really just watch over me. He told my dad I just was being a child, I got beat for that. At age six, I was introduced to drugs and alcohol, I also got my powers worked out around then… My dad left state the day after I showed him without a word to me." he sighed and scowled.

"I kept going back to that house for two months, waiting for him. Then the house was bought and I lived under the track. I was a junkie, sold stuff I stole." his other hand wandered to his pad lock.

"What is that thing for anyway?" she asked as he ran a circle around it with his thumb. Kevin held it up and smirked.

"It was the lock to my mother's gun cabinet, she gave it to me before she died. She was going to give me a gun, but my dad sold them all the day she went into labor." he sighed and shook his head.

"This is fucking stupid, why the hell am I telling all this shit to you again?!" he growled, still rubbing the sore spot from her arm. She only leaned against him, a tear rolling down his cheek as she looked up.

"Kevin… do you have a brother?" she asked him in confusion. Who was that boy then, maybe Kevin knew?

"A brother? No, I'm an only child. I got her black hair, my moms." he sat back and rubbed the other arm.

"So… no family members about, middle school age?" she asked, confused now.

"No. I already fucking said that! What the hell are you getting at?" he barked, his temper had been punched, his vocabulary was settling in to make up for it.

"Well, I saw a boy running around here. He led me to this room..." she cut her sentence off as her mind wondered to the photo's and articles of herself.

"A boy? Hinu?" he asked, lifting her to her feet. She shook her head and rubbed her arms.

"No, he was wearing a pad lock like yours… snd he looked just like you, but a lot...softer around the edges." she said, hitting his shoulder with what strength she could before wincing.

"Owwwie!" she whined, only to have Kevin begging to rub them again.

"God, your so worthless." he said, rolling his eyes. A glint from his lip ring and Gwen pushed her knee upward to hit him in the groin, but he backed up and caught her as she fell forward.

"You realize you're making my point more obvious right?" he asked as he lifted her up bridal style. Her face blushed deep red.

"... Put me down." she said slowly.

"As if." he smirked.


	7. Chapter 7

Silk is itchy, don't be fooled into thinking it's not. If it's expensive it's not itchy, _sure_. But most silk is itchy.

Gwen preferred the cheep fabric that was smooth on one side, rough on the other, she didn't know the name for it... Was it flannel? Anyway, if she had to pick one, expensive silk would only be it, only if it was free though.

Too tired to think anyway, and yet her brain wanted conversation.

Now she was in something flowing, like a big fluffy night gown, and it was really soft too. The sheets she was laying in were very familiar, yet strange.

A huge pillow was under chest and head, more than enough to hug her arms around was the next thing her brain processed. They were still sore, everything was sore really, her limbs also itched a little.

_'Mmm, did mom change the sheets? It smells… different in here.'_ her mind fogged, a dim light shining behind her closed eyes and it caused her to groan. The light moved and she relaxed again.

_'Wait… I'm not home. I was kidnapped. I'm with Kevin.'_ she groaned again and felt something wet on her forehead. She turned her head slightly to try and move away and winced as she clung to the pillow as something warm wrapped around her suddenly.

"Wake up already, you're hogging the good pillow." a husky voice whispered on the back of her neck. She could only shiver and scoot away from the breath as she snuggled deeper into the pillow.

"Gwen, I'm serious, wake up." She shook her head gently, snuggling her face deeper into the pillow.

"Fine! But when you do wake up, if you even think of touching me, I'll do more than just burn your arms." the voice growled, something snuggled close to her back, its face buried in her neck. She just relaxed a little more and drifted back to sleep.

--

_"Gwendolen! My god, wake up!"_  
_ "Ben, stop harassing your cousin! Gwen, come on, let's get going."_  
_ "Grandpa, let's just leave her."_  
_ "Ben you stop that right now! Go get the picnic table back in the rust bucket."_  
_ "Yea whatever. I'm leaving her."_

_ "Hey, stop that, it tickles!"_

_ "Gweeeeen, breakfassst!"_  
_ "GET THOSE THINGS OUT OF MY FACE!"_  
_ "Why nerd, they're just your style."_  
_ "Paralysis Projectiles!"_  
_ "GRANDPA! Gwen's casting magic in the rust bucket!"_  
_ "I swear I'm going to throw you in that LAKE!"_  
_ "Both of you, stop fighting!"_

_ "Gwen, mommy and daddy, well... We aren't really getting along right now. So we're going to be living in two different houses, ok? Won't that be fun to have two different bedrooms?"_  
_ "… Oh sweetie, don't cry."_

_ "It's called 'your baby might die,' you two fight way too much. The stress may cause her to have a miscarriage! Go to a marriage councilor, for your child's sake!"_

_ "I never really wanted to listen to them fight Grandpa, I feel bad for Gwen. How can she be so happy all the time?"_

"Gwen..."

_"Are you kidding me? The divorce papers say I get her over Christmas! You can shove it!"_

_ "Where are you going! Dinner isn't ready yet!"_  
_ "DON'T slam that door young lady!"_

_ "SHUT UP! EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT! GWEN DON'T LET THEM DO THIS!"_

"Gwen… wake up. Come on sweet heart."

_"I don't think she's ok, grandpa."_

"Gwendolen... come on, your starting to scare me dear." a warm hand ran over her forehead and Gwen bolted up and started looking back and fourth quickly, sweat broken out across her face. She felt tears fall down her cheeks and felt arms around her waist.

"Calm down, I'm right here." a voice whispered on her neck. She just sat there, breathing out in heavy gasps and letting the tears fall.

_'I… I thought those dreams had stopped? The therapist said I was over their divorce. But… what were those other voices?'_ she thought, grabbing the arms and turning to face the person.

It was Kevin, he didn't have a shirt on, just a pair of black jeans, he looked at her without any emotion. She clenched her left hand and slapped him with her right, shoving herself off the bed and into another persons arms.

"Gwendolen?! What's going on? What's wrong with you?" Gorg said oddly, she looked down at the woman as she began to sob, gripping the front of the nagas shirt.

"Take her to the main room." Kevin said after a pause, standing and holding his reddened cheek.

"But-"

"Just do it!" he barked, turning from both of them and sitting on the edge of the bed. Gorg looked from Kevin to Gwen, then turned away with Gwen and helped her out of the room and down the hall.

"What's wrong, Gwendolen? You're hysterical…" Gorg said softly, leading her into a door with a black glass wall. Gwen only shook her head as Gorg sat her on a comfortable chair inside the room. Gwen scooped up her feet and tucked them under her nightgown.

"You stay here, deary, I'll go get you something warm to drink." the motherly woman said, her blue flowing shirt covering the pregnant state she was in. She slithered off quietly, leaving Gwen with a hankie for her face in the quiet room.

With a sniffle, she brought her knees to her chest and looked around the room, it was like an observatory. She sighed and wiped her face, running her hand over the arms of the chair.

A quick beep later and the black screen dissolved to show a different type of black. Open space, swirls of red dust and a slow shooting stars. She shoved her face into her knees as the door made a soft creaking noise, she covered her ears with her arms in case Gorg tried to question her.

A plate was set down, and then a cup was by her face. She grabbed it and sipped at it before handing it back, not daring to look at her food-bringer.

She felt her hand being taken, but she only snatched it back. "Stop being a bitch." Kevin's voice barked as he snatched her hand from her and yanked her to her feet. She struggled to get away from him wordlessly as he pulled her against him.

"Damn it. Stop moving!" he barked, squeezing her wrists until she stopped. She glared at him as she shook.

"Turn the view option to area 14. Zoom in to third." Kevin barked, the door reopened and Hinu slithered in with a yawn, he crossed the floor until he was standing before a platform, then began fiddling with buttons.

"Let me go!" Gwen shouted, kicking at him.

Kevin rolled his eyes and turned her to the screen forcefully, her back to his chest. The window screen jutted forward, stars blazing past them until it went through a fogged mist. "Can you tell what that is? No, of course not." he threw her to the chair and waved his hand at Hinu.

"Back it up." he said simply, his glare heated. Hinu nodded and pulled something forward. The screen pulled back and Gwen felt like vomiting as the vertigo effect moved over her.

Earth sat there, the moon just in the corner of the screen. Gwen felt her legs go out, even though she was sitting and she slid to the floor. "Why Gwenafer, what's the matter?" Kevin asked with an evil smirk.

"Where am I?" she muttered sadly, watching the screen.

"Bother him about it," Kevin said as he pointed to Hinu and pulled up a second chair away from her.

"Oh how the feelings turn." Hinu mumbled, resting his elbows on the podium.

"Shut it dog-boy." Kevin growled, kicking his boots off, he sat there topless as he watched the world spin. Gwen watched the screen as she was pushed back into her chair. She watched as the two men argued. She sniffled and shook her head.

"Look," Kevin stood and grabbed Gwen's hand, pulling her back to her feet, "does she look happy? No she's doesn't fucking look happy." he screamed.

"I advise you to stop screaming. You'll stress your system and bruise her arm." Hinu said, a slight smirk on his face. Kevin thrust his fist forward as a burst of fire shot toward him, his hand engulfed in flames.

"What the hell is going on?!" Gwen shrieked, pulling her hand away from Kevin as he glared at her.

"Fuck it!" he barked, throwing another fireball in Hinu's direction as he stormed out of the room, shoving things by as he went.

"Are you-"

"Will you go after him?!" Hinu barked, blowing a flame off the wall and moving his tail away from falling ashes. Gwen sighed and stood, running out of the room and looking into the hallway.

_'Why the hell am I going after him?'_ she thought angrily. _'He's nothing but a pompous, ignorant-'_

"Hush Druce! If you aren't quiet she'll hear us…" a feminine voice whispered, and Gwen sighed and veered right, following the trail of destruction and muffled voices.

"I'm going to find you this time damn it. This is pissing me off." she hissed, sliding past a dented in door. Whispered giggles turned her down another hall, and she finally found herself at a hurriedly slammed door. She glared and stomped toward it, slamming her fists against it to let whoever was inside know she was out there.

"Open up, Kevin!" she shouted angrily.

_"I alreadY TOld you to FUCK OFF!"_ his voice went in and out, like he was in pain.

"Kevin what the hell is wrong with you?" she said franticly, pounding on the door harder.

"Shut up!" he screamed back.

"Kevin don't you dare make me bust this door in!" she screamed. After a few seconds of silence she wrestled with the doorknob. "Why does it always have to be locked!" she mumbled, twisting her fingers around the knob as they glowed red.

"Unlock damn it!" she hissed, the spell sliding in the side of the door. She pushed and wrestled some more, but still got nothing.

_'Fine. Have it your way!'_ she thought as she stepped back. She put her hands together and breathed out slowly.

"HYA!"

The door went flying in as Gwen lowered her leg, smoke and dust came up as if the room hadn't been used in centuries. She heard more giggles and she looked inside, waving her arm to clear the dust. A dull fire light came into view.

"Go... go away." a strange voice hissed. She squinted her eyes and coughed gently as she walked in.

"Kevin? Where are you?" she asked as the dust hit her harder. She dropped to her knees and fanned away the clouds with both hands desperately.

"Go away!" the voice hissed again.

"Kevin, I can't see. How the hell can I leave when I can't see." she barked back, covering her mouth and nose with part of the gown.

"You're not supposed to see! Get out!" the voice shouted. The dust slowly lifted, and a large silhouette stood over her, four glowing eyes peering down at her.

"Hurry up." the voice hissed. The burning flare coming from an arm.

"Kevin?"


	8. Chapter 8

"GET OUT!" something large, a support beam she guessed, went flying toward her head, and with a quick scream she held up a shield and felt the beam crack around the curved blue light.

She groaned, her hands dripping blood from not getting the shield up stronger than the force of the beam, the backwards force leaving small slits in her palms. She felt her head spin from the onslaught of an echo as it clashed with objects at her side.

"K-Kevin h-help... c-can't... breath..." she used up all the energy she could to force the bloody hand to her mouth to try and breath clean air. Even if the dust and smoke had lifted for the most part, the impact the support beam had hit her shield with jarred her arms, causing her it inhale a large amount of pure dust.

A large arm quickly scooped her up, her eyes pressed shut. "W-won't... look..." she coughed out, clinging to the arms. A growl sounded and she realized that whatever it was that had just grabbed her, wasn't human.

With soft thuds she felt she was being carried out of the smoke, a groan sounded and she felt like she was being dropped at an increasingly slow rate, like she was falling.

"Kevin!" she reached out blindly, her hand brushing against something sharp and solid.

"What!?" he barked, his voice closer to her than she realized, now her body was being pressed against his chest. She tried to grab at his shirt, but then remembered it was gone. Instead she grasped his shoulders tightly and leaned into him.

"I'm bleeding..." the only thing that came out of her mouth, but her thoughts weren't running across that path.

"No shit! You've got it all over my chest, bitch!" he barked, his footsteps walking through rubble as she clung to him, one arm supporting her from her back, the other under her legs.

She rested her head against his neck from what she knew of human anatomy, and slowly peered behind him, her eyes open just a crack. She held back a gasp, covering it up in a hard cough.

_'S-Stink fly wings! What... he... what isn't he telling me!'_ she thought harshly, gripping his shoulders tighter as she squeaked from the sudden jump Kevin had made off of a large pillar.

"Will you shut up already, be glad I even picked you up! fucking whore..." he mumbled the last bit as he held her closer, running out of the room quietly.

_'Kevin...'_ she closed her eyes again and huffed out as much dust as she could. _'You can't keep this from me, can you? Why did you lie to me...'_

"… Why do I even care?" she thought aloud before squeaking.

"Well, you'd have died! And that would cause world wide whatever the hell on my ass! Which I really would rather NOT have happen. Oh, what else? Because I fucking said to shut the hell up. Annoying bitch." this time he didn't mumble, only tightened his grip on her back left thigh. She nearly screamed at how cold his hands felt, they were on her bare skin.

_'How the fuck did he get his hand up there!'_ she screamed in her head, wanting desperately to bite him hard on the neck, but then just shook the thought away. _'No, he'd probably like that.'_ she sighed and let her thoughts wonder, her eyes still closed.

I t got really quiet as they walked, and a lot easier to breath. She felt like she could just fall asleep, but the pain in her still oddly dripping hands wanted to make her scream.

She felt her back pressed against a soft cushion. "Stay here… bitch." Kevin's voice barked as he stomped off.

_'He brought me... back to his room? ... I should cover the sheets in blood... what the hell am I thinking?!'_ she sat up and opened her eyes with a light scream of annoyance.

She was indeed back in Kevin's room, her hands indeed bloody, the fluffy little nightgown was now covered in dirt, dust and blood as well as being slightly singed on her side.

"What the hell... why can't anything ever be normal." she choked out, trying to close the bloody wounds to no avail.

"Yea, yea, bitch at me later Gorg, I've got this! You go... cook or something, God." Kevin slammed the bedroom door behind him, drawing her attention back to him. She stared at the large bundle in his arms… a medical kit.

"Don't start on your, 'Oh, I knew you were a good guy Kevin,' fuck that. I am doing this so you don't get my bed messy and so you don't bitch about hurting." he barked, dropping the kit on the bed as he pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a few cotton swabs.

"Kevin..." she said softly, a lump in her throat from the info that went flying through her head.

"Shove a dick in it, I'm busy." he said in a cynical way, pouring the alcohol out and grabbing her arms. He began to wipe up the blood from the cuts and she only winced and tried clenching her fists.

"Stop being difficult-"

"Shut up you cunt it hurts!" Gwen gasped as the words escaped her mouth. _'That was not cool...'_

"Why thank you for that Gwenafer. Now hold still and I won't have to tie you up." he snapped, not realizing she had just talked the same as he did. After all the alcohol had been covered, the mess now clean from dust and blood, Kevin began putting cotton pads over her wounds gently.

"I hate you..." she said softly as he began to wrap gauze around her hands.

"The feeling is quit mutual. There, let me see your knees." he pulled her legs out and pushed the nightgown up as he sighed, her knees were scrapped and bloody as well.

"You bleed more than an artery." he groaned as he repeated the process. Gwen only sat there, fighting back the tears from the stinging pain in her hands and knees. Once Kevin seemed satisfied, he grabbed a rag and wet it.

"I can clean myself you know!" she barked when she realized his intentions, trying to reach for the rag, but only to have her hand scream at her. He only smirked and began to clean off her face and arms, every inch she would let him he cleaned, until the white rag was now dark and smudged black.

"Done." he dropped the rag and began to put things away.

_'If I'm going to ask him, I need to do it now...'_ she thought, the lump in her throat rising higher, her eyes watering oddly. "Kevin. I... I need to talk to you." she said, fighting back the tears she had no idea that were coming.

"I don't need to talk back, but go ahead and say whatever you want. I'm not listening." he said simply, closing the box slowly.

"Wh-why a-are you..." she coughed as she felt tears slip down her face. The smoke was affecting her lungs, now she couldn't breath. Only cry and chock, reaching out as she tried clawing her throat out. _'What the hell was that dust?!'_ she felt Kevin's arms pull her forward.

"Hold still!" he barked, his hand running up her back as he pushed on her neck with his thumb and pressed his lips to hers. In an instant, her breath was taken away, being sucked out of her lungs with no pulling feeling.

Kevin quickly drew back and blew out a large push of smoke. She fell backwards onto the bed, still crying. "Kevin you fucking... Why did you just kiss me!" she nearly screamed.

"Well that's the sexiest thank you I've ever heard, Gwenafer. I'm glad you can breath now!" he shouted at her, his hands at her hips as he glared over her.

"Fuck off you LIAR!" she shouted, punching him in his shoulder, he only growled and pinned her down, his hips now on top of her.

"Why don't you fuck me off. A win-win deal?" she punched him again, this time in the arm as he held her wrists down.

"Let me GO!" she shouted, angry with him for some unknown reason full of rage. "I HATE YOU!" she shouted, thrashing under him. He only smirked and pushed her into the bed more.

"Please do." he growled, leaning closer to her as he pressed his lips back against hers. She screamed and fought, but he wouldn't get off, the cold feeling of his lip ring drove her insane. After giving up she let her body go on the bed, opening her mouth and biting his top lip.

She pulled her head back after he chuckled and stared up at him, his hysterical laughter only making her roll her eyes. "Get off..." she muttered, fighting back the blush as she turned her face away from him.

"I'm going to kick your ass." she whispered. He only laughed again, kissing gently at her neck, nipping places as she moved away from him.

"Bitch."

"Whore."

"Kevin you're too heavy, get off! I want to kick your ass!" she whined, trying again to push him away. He just growled and loosened his grip on her wrists.

"But you're so comfy, I would rather just fu-"

"Kevin! Get the fuck off!" she barked, pulling her arms free and wrapping them around his neck. He laughed again and touched his nose to her.

"So much for kicking my ass?" he growled as he kissed her again. This time she only fought back slightly, letting his lips caress her, nipping gently at his piercing. Her mind emptied of everything, gasping for breath when he let her lips go.

"What did you do to me." she whispered, pulling him closer.

"Nothing, that's the best part, your the one who's letting me touch you." he trailed his fingers down her arm as she bit her lip.

"Stop it, Kevin... I don't like this." she whispered. He only smiled as he pushed the strap to the gown aside.

"Now who's lying?" he whispered, kissing her quickly before slipping his fingers into the top of her gown. She let her eyes shoot open and hit him across the head.

"Get the fuck off!" she said as she pushed him, her hands hurting again and her knees aching. Kevin just rolled over beside her laughing hysterically.

"Fucking ass! Keep your hands to yourself!" she snapped, sitting up and glaring at him. He gasped and smirked.

"Now where in there did you say anything about me not kissing you?" he smirked as she glared and clenched her fists the best she could, trying to stand but falling back to the bed.

"I fucking hate you." she whined, turned away from him. He chuckled and hugged her waist, burring his face into her shoulder. He kissed her neck gently, and she elbowed him as hard as she could in the stomach. With a grunt he held her tighter.

"Gwen… thank you. Don't tell anyone though, or I'll hang you from the ceiling by your fingers." he growled.

"Thanks for what?" she asked him as she took his hands away from her stomach, her back cuddling to him.

"That beautiful show in your dress, I like how it got tighter on you. Never knew you enjoyed cold metal." he laughed as she began hitting him in the arm.

"Fucking shut up!" she shouted, kicking him angrily. "Why do you have to be such an ass?!" she asked as she grabbed a pillow and slapped him with it. He only smiled and pulled her to his chest.

"I like being a jerk." she yawned, cuddling his neck as he spoke. She groaned and hit him with the pillow again as he smiled up at her, a real smile, not a smirk.

"Tomorrow we can go back to hating each other ok?" he said more than asked, kissing her bottom lip. She sighed and thwacked him again.

"Tomorrow I'm asking every question I want to, and you have to answer them. Or I really will kick your ass!" she barked, letting him go only to be pulled back the normal way, cuddling his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"So… today was just a dream." he said with a sigh. "Nothing happened." he kissed her nose and groaned. "I don't want nothing to have happened, but you'll kill me in the morning for making out with you." he rubbed her stomach, the lock around his neck turned backwards so it wouldn't mess with her.

"We didn't 'make out' jackass." she barked, letting him nuzzle her neck. "In fact, nothing happened, just like you said. I should be kicking your ass right now for even touching me… but I'm too tired." she blushed and closed her eyes.

"Can I wake up like this?" he asked her with a smirk, running his hands over her hips.

"No, I'll kill you." she groaned, oddly tired.

"Sounds appealing, I'll make sure to have my hand under your dress." he smirked and kissed her neck again, getting thwacked in the face with the larger pillow.

When Gwen woke back up, she didn't seem to remember anything, just that she was alone in bed, and that her hands and knees were bandaged.


	9. Chapter 9

"When can he be released from the hospital?" the black haired male asked the nurse as she sighed, never giving off emotion.

"Edwin, not for a while." she said, walking along side him, holding a tray of food. The male sighed, shivering as he neared the random hospital door. The black haired woman turned her head to him, bit her lip, then turned back to her walking.

The slight movement didn't go unnoticed. "You know Beny… you've been doing that a lot lately." he said with a sigh.

"Doing what?" she asked him, knocking once on a door.

"Glancing at me, then looking away," he said, arms crossed, "I'm flattered and all that you like me… but I already have someone in my sights." Beny gently put the tray inside the room on the sink and the closed the door. She turned back to the man and snorted, laughing in a mythical tone.

"That's funny, really funny. I'm not interested in you." she shook her head and crossed her arms as well, slightly taller than the man before her. "In fact, I'm engaged happily to my _girlfriend_. We're supposed to... get married soon..." she looked away, biting her lip again.

Edwin raised an eyebrow and stood in front of the woman who normally never showed emotion. "Ok, I may not be as thick as Ben, but you can't keep hiding that face from me." he placed a hand on her shoulder awkwardly.

She looked at him and her eyes broke, she looked on the verge of tears. "Whoa, calm down Beny!" he quickly caught the girl as she collapsed into almost tears. "It's going to be ok." he told her, hugging her as he rubbed her back.

"No it's not! I can't go back. Nothing's going like it should have... my parents should have gotten together by now!" she choked out, gripping his shirt.

"Hey hey. They're probably just stubborn. Give them some time, they'll get back together." he patted the girls back awkwardly, other nurses walking by as the woman slowed her hysterical fit.

After several moments of awkward silence, she stood up and wiped her face, pulling her theoretical no-emotion mask back on. "I'm sorry. I... I normally only cry around my dad. He..." she shook her head, holding her throat.

"Hey, it's ok. You don't have to talk about it now... I can tell you're sad." in the history of things he'd done, this had to be the weirdest. Not only had the girl captured him into adoring how creepy she was, but she'd shown emotion to him from the first day he'd meet her. According to the staff, he was one lucking man.

"I'll walk you to the cafeteria. Buy you lunch." the woman said finally. Edwin nodded, not really feeling he could say 'Oh, no thank you, I already ate the lunch that they gave Ben, he didn't want it.'

"So, who is it you've got your eyes on?" the nurse asked after several moments of walking. Edwin felt his face brighten in a blush.

"W-What do you mean? Never said that." he mumbled, this really wasn't his day.

"If I recall, you did." she said, smiling at him and pushing open the cafeteria door. Edwin stopped as he yanked a tray from the tall pile.

"I really don't think you need to know who I do or do not like." he told her, dropping his tray on the metal poles as he pushed it forward. Beny followed his lead, only a lot less forceful than his had been.

"Really? I actually think I do. I play an important role in your life." she said simply, plucking a small piece of cake from the lines. Edwin turned to her and rolled his eyes, filling his plate full of things he knew Ben would actually eat this time. He stopped at the end of the line and picked up his tray, turning to her.

"Really. So tending to my best friend during your shift is an important role?" he asked her. She shrugged, smirking as she pointed to a dish on the plate.

"He's allergic to that." she said with a smile.

"Maybe I'll like it?" he asked back, following her.

"Like you like him?" she asked with a smirk, walking to a large array of drinks.

"Well ye-NO! No, eww! He's my best friend!" Edwin sputtered out.

"I never insinuated it was meant to be a sexual love like you seem to be implying." she said with a brighter smirk, plucking a cup from the long row.

_'Oh damn... she's good.'_ the black haired boy thought as he grabbed his own cup.

"So, what's your girlfriend like?" he asked her after a pause.

"Are you trying to change the subject about the fact you want to fuc-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll never work as a nurse again." he warned, his face beat red.

"So you _do_ like him." she nodded, pulling a leaver as she filled her cup to the brim with soda.

"I do not! Not in the way you're thinking!" Edwin said, filling his own drink and slamming it down. By now people were beginning to stare at them.

Beny continued her smirk as she placed a lid on her cup and then grabbed two straws and walked to the check out, Edwin following after her.

"Hey! Why are you thinking about this. Why even bring the subject up? Are you picking on me or something?" he asked as the woman at the checkout got quiet and stared at them, slowing typing up the receipt so she could soak up gossip.

"Hmm? Oh I'm not picking on you. I think you being attracted to him is-"

"I am not attracted to him! Stop that!" he ordered as she handed the lunch lady a card with only her first name on it. Beny chuckled and picked up her tray, heading toward a table.

"Stop what?" she asked.

_'Good god, she's as bad as Ben is! Maybe even worse!'_

"Insinuating that I like him!" he said as he sat next to her, grabbing a to-go box and starting to fill it as she ate.

"Because you do." she stated. Edwin groaned, nearly screaming his head off at her as he pulled lightly at his hair, resisting the urge to curse.

"Shut up!" he grumbled, "he is just my friend." he groaned again, staring at the necklace around her neck as it came into view for the full measure of five seconds as she raised her arm to point a woman in the direction of the sweets.

_'Wait... That's... my Sumo Titan Slam necklace...'_ he quickly pulled his hand to his chest, feeling the dangly piece of silver hanging from his neck and under his shirt. Simply S and T shapes placed together, but he knew no one on Earth, or any other planet could have the same one that he had.

Ben had made it for him for his 15th birthday.

_'I must be losing it to her pressure.'_ he groaned.

"You like him." she stated, plopping a piece of her cake into her mouth. He quickly glared at her, then shook his finger.

"Don't you breath a word!" he growled, slamming his head lightly onto the table a few times as people passed. She chuckled as the people stared strangely, finishing up her little lunch.

"Told you so." she said as she lifted both empty trays and closed the to-go box.

_'How do women do that? How did SHE do that? Good god I'm so fucked. She'll tell Ben! Then what will I do? Fuck fuck FUCK!'_ Edwin slammed his head against the wall outside of Ben's room one last time before sighing, gripping the box full of probably cold food.

"Ok, keep it cool, she hasn't even been in here. She's checking up on other people. It's Tamy's shift… Tamy is nice." he repeated to himself.

"I'm nice? Well, I would hope I was, Beny says I'm a bit mean to my baby cousin." the woman's voice made him jump as she stood behind him with a medical cart.

"Good fucking God don't do that!" he gaspeed, gripping his chest with one hand.

"Why so jumpy? Beny getting you to say you like Ben got you that uppity?" she asked with a smirk.

"She told you?" Edwin squeaked. The brunette nodded with a laugh, turning the cart towards the door.

"We _are_ twins. Though we may not look alike, we get along… most of the time. Come on, gotta pull that old surgery I.V. out of Ben." she opened the door and smiled, waving to the brunette male on the bed.

He sat up gently and waved back, pulling the breathing mask off. "Hey Eddy. What's wrong with you? You look pale." he asked his friend as Tamy walked over to him and pulled the mask off, replacing it with a nostril tube that could be lifted up and off by simply sneezing too hard.

"This may be better while I work." she said with a smile. Edwin walked inside the room, placing the box on the table with a bright blush.

"Geez, when am I getting out of here, Tam?" Ben asked the nurse with a chuckle.

"When you stop flirting with us and pay attention to getting better." the woman said as she rubbed alcohol to remove the tape covering the line.

Edwin sat quietly in the chair beside the hospital bed, watching as the two started chatting about how things were going, who did who in the broom closet, what was that stuff they were pumping into his I.V.

After stripping him of his dressing gown and leaving him in his boxers, the woman promised to be right back, complaining about getting fresh clothes and towels in the room.

All those bruises and cuts made Edwin's heart and head hurt. That was his best friend in a hospital bed, his best friend with so many wounds, his best friend half naked-

"Hey, Eddie, you got a fever? You look sick, man, really." the boy asked his friend, sitting up further. Edwin shook his head and chuckled, averting his gaze.

"Are you mad because I didn't let you watch that movie with me?" he asked, slight worry in his voice.

"What? No! No Ben, it's... a lot bigger than that." he said with a sinking feeling.

"Fuck. So you are mad at me? I'm a million times sorry, for whatever it is I did. I'll find out soon enough. Was it the pudding thing? Oh god it was the pudding thing!" Edwin stood and shook his head quickly.

"No! No way, I'm not mad at you, Ben. You see, it's weird! Beny was haggling me back in the cafeteria-"

"You're mad at Beny?"

"No, I'm not mad at her-"

"Then what the hell is wrong?"

With a quick slam of Edwin's fists to Ben's hospital bed he groaned. "Will you shut up! And why are you still half naked!" he was about to explode.

"Because." Ben said simply.

"Because why Ben!"

"I look good half naked?"

"BEN!"

"Dude, you were in the room! Tamy is getting me a new gown." Ben stared at his friend before sighing. "Hey… Eddie."

"What you moron." the black haired boy asked him.

"Am I still sexy, even though I'll have all these scars?"

"Don't you fucking ask me that you perv!"

"Oh come on, answer my question. Be a pal." Ben whined.

"No! I refuse to answer!" Edwin barked, still hovering over Ben's bed.

"Answer i-"

"Fine, you'll look sexy! Fucking so sexy you'll even have guys wanting to bone you. Then I'll have to beat them all off and tell the girls you're taken by me and that your ass is mine!" Edwin shouted.

"Ok, I'll play along with your little game. So what if some guy grabbed my ass in a food store?" Ben asked with a chuckle.

"He wouldn't be a guy anymore."

"Ouch. What if some chick wanted to date me?" he asked.

Edwin glared at him. "I'd have you so cock loving by then you'd scream and run away." he said, feeling really stupid right now.

"Will you make out with me?"

"WHAT?" Edwin's scream could be heard three rooms down.

"Will you make out with me? Right here, right now, in all the glory of a hospital?" Ben asked, an oddly serious look on his face.

"Shut up." Edwin said, rubbing his temples.

"I did _not_ hear a n-MPF!"

And then Edwin was pressing his face into Ben's face in a crazy, yet romantically spur of the moment first kiss.

With a groan Gwen slapped the back of Kevin's head for the forth time. "Stop tying them so tight!" she shrieked.

"Fuck you, I'll tie it as tight as I fucking want it!" he barked back, re-rolling the small section of gauze for the forth time.

"Don't make me de-man you!" she screamed, pulling his hair as he nearly cut off the circulation in her legs.

"Fucking whore!" he barked, slapping her leg and pushing her to the bed, her stomach pressed into the mattress. "Stop squirming and I'll fucking fix it!" he growled.

"I swear if you fucking do one thin-GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY ASS!"

"Umm… ngh-Gwedolen..." Gorg's voice struck out.

"I'll put my hands where I want them, whore!" Kevin spat back, she quickly proceed to kick him in the gut. There in which he grabbed her leg and pulled her farther down on the bed.

"Gwendolen..." Gorg's voice called again.

"I already told you I can tie it myself!" Gwen shouted.

"Like I fucking ca-"

"KEVIN, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" and that was Gorg screaming, flopping to the floor as she grabbed her belly.

"Gorg? Oh god!" with another kick, she pushed Kevin off enough to rush toward her friend, even if her legs were in searing pain still.

"I... I can't find… Hinu and UGH! It hurts!" she screamed the last bit, a gush of water dripping from her tail.

"Holy shit... she's in labor!"


	10. Chapter 10

With an agitated scream the brunette lashed out at the man before her as his ears planted themselves firmly atop his head. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU!" she screamed as her fangs dripped with venom, the red head prying her fingers off of the males neck.

"Gorg! You need to calm down! You're going to chock him to death!" Gwen nearly screamed over the yelling. The snake woman wailed and grabbed her husbands arm as she buried her face into his shoulder, screaming out in pain again.

The black haired male ran in, his head ready to burst, a large bucket of water in his arms. "Here, anything else you need?" he snapped as he let the bucket sit beside the bed next to all the towels, scissors and medical kits.

The red head snapped her face toward him in a glare as the couple before her calmed and relaxed. She let the blonde go and stormed toward the black haired male.

"Gorg, be nice to Hinu while I chat with Kevin." she said in a stale voice as she headed toward the door. Kevin glared as he followed the woman out of the room, a scream from the snake woman urging him to slam the door.

"Kevin do you realize how long I've been in that room, alone?" she asked as Kevin turned to her, leaning against the wall across the hall. He stared at her with a glare.

"Why should I even-"

"Seven fucking hours!" she said as she poked him in the chest and stomped toward him. "Seven hours with her in premature labor and YOU want to bitch and moan to me about helping? What the hell is WRONG with you!" she nearly screamed. Kevin stared at her and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

"Why are you so bitchy? You've been with your new friend this entire time, isn't that better than being with me?" he barked back in a shout. For a spilt second Gwen could feel her heart topple into her stomach, but she shook the feeling off as she shoved Kevin into the wall, full of rage.

"You self centered bastard!" she shouted, shoving him again.

"Watch it Gwenafer!" he ordered, uncrossing his arms and pointing to her. "I will fucking slug you! Girl or not!" he snapped back, shoving her arm away from his chest. Gwen glared at him then, harder than she ever had, falling into his chest face first.

"I don't want kids if it takes this long. I can't stand listening to her cry… Hinu's no help, your being a dick, I'm on the verge of tears, I keep hearing SOMEBODY giggling in the hallways, I can't go home, I'm just no-"

"Wait, giggling? Why would Gorg be giggling... well, yea I get why, but she's not the type you hear." Kevin unconsciously pulled the red head to his chest as she seethed her anger out through the fabric of his shirt.

"I hear children fucking giggling damn it. Every time I try and sneak out, or just decide to go walking. I hear children! I've _seen_ children." she pushed his shoulder back with a snap in her voice.

Kevin looked ahead for a moment, then down at the red head. "Gwen, there aren't any children on this ship... Gorg hasn't even given birth yet." he said simply. "You've lost it."

"I have NOT fucking lost it." she snapped her head up at him, still leaning against his chest as she glared. "I clearly and vividly _see_ children on this god forsaken piece of metal you call a ship!" she barked out, dropping her head back into his shirt.

"Gwen, your the only other per-"

"Quick, I need your help, something's wrong!" Hinu nearly shouted as he slung the door open, grabbing Kevin's arm and pulling him away from Gwen as he pulled her inside.

The red head ran quickly to the woman she knew as her friend, looking at her pale face and bleeding tail. "What the hell..." she took Gorg's wrist as she checked her pulse.

"... Ok, it's reduced from 5 minutes ago to 70 over 80. Kevin, Hinu, I need you two to find me a book on snakes and my spell book that you tossed out with my clothes." Gwen said as she took a rag and began to drown it in the bucket of water.

"Why the hell should I hel-"

"Fucking do what she says!" Hinu shouted as he stormed out, growling at the black haired male as the boy stomped after him.

"I'm kicking your ass later Gwen!" Kevin shouted as he left, though she ignored him and let the rag rest on Gorg's forehead.

"Everything's going to be ok now, I'll help you any way I can." she said in a soothing voice, stroking Gorg's hair as she held her hand gently in her own. The brunette whimpered and fell back into the bed with a slight laugh, pushing the hair from her face.

"I-I always... wanted to be a mother..." she started to speak gently, the color drained from her face as she looked up at her red headed friend. "My mother told me I'd always have complications though… I just really don't want to lose my baby." she said in a whimper.

Gwen held her hand tighter, kneeling beside her friend as she cried. "I won't let you lose your baby, Gorg. No matter what, I'll help you through this." she whispered, hugging the woman. After several minutes Gorg finally calmed, half awake as she breathed through her contractions.

Gwen now sat on a chair reading through a deeply texted book about naga's that had been in some trunk that none of the others could decipher. Beside her was her spell book, her fingers laced in purple as she read through the pages and had them deciphered ever so slowly onto a new book she was making in English with her magic.

Kevin sat on the floor in front of her, his back to her as Hinu laid sprawled out beside his wife, having already cleaned up the blood that had spilled to the floor. Kevin sat, staring at a book Gwen had forced into his hands.

_'Damn woman...why the fuck should I obey her? I'm the one who owns this ship! I swear I'm putting her through hell once Gorg has this kid.'_ he sighed as he flipped the page over, feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"Kevin, I don't get this..." Gwen whispered as she sat down next to him. He turned to her with a glare as the books floated in the air around her.

"I don't fucking care, figure it out yourself bitch." he barked back, dropping the book and putting his hands on the ground, ready to leave. Gwen grabbed his arm then, pulling him back down.

"Don't make me sit on you! Look at this! It says here Naga's lay eggs instead of having children right out. See, confirm it for me?" she asked as she pointed to the book, still whispering as she glared at him.

He looked over the English translation and sighed. "So what, she's pushing out a egg-"

"Kevin, Gorg's baby is crowning, no egg around the baby yet. The egg is meant to fully develop the child's immune system and organs in the tail or leg muscles. See, some naga's, depending on the development will have le-"

"Gwen. I don't care. I never have, never will. I'm leaving." he barked. She grabbed his arm and shoved him to the floor.

"Kevin Levin I swear if you don't shut the fuck up and listen I'll... fuck, look just help me. I'm about to have a brain explosion from all this stress and a little help would be appreciated. I don't like you, but I'm willing to work with you." she said quietly, still gripping his wrist. He glared at her and pulled her arm, bringing her closer.

"Let ME get one thing straight," he whispered to her, their chests almost touching, "I've never liked you, nor will I ever in the future. The only reason I've put up with you and this bullshit for so long is because I fear Gorg's wrath. Now that you're telling me she's bed ridden, I'm leaving." he barked, pushing her away as he stood and headed toward the door.

As he exited Gwen glared and cast a replacement spell to do her work for her. "I'll be back in a few minutes with Kevin!" she shouted as she ran out of the room. Following a small trail of ash drops she came to a shut door, ready to blast it open.

But a soft set of sobs caught her ears down the next hall, and she debated what to do. "Kevin, Kevin come quick please. I hear something!" she whispered at the door, begging he would hear it.

"Go away bitch." his voice barked out.

"Kevin come on!" she ordered. The door slid open and Kevin stood before her, his hair down and his arms crossed.

"Go away before I throw you away." he barked, only to have Gwen grab his wrist and pull him from the room.

"Listen, somebody is on this ship because I can hear them sobbing!" she barked as she pulled him along, Kevin jerked her back though, only to have a hand cover his mouth as a sob turned into a wail.

"I told you!" she whispered after a moment, slowly removing her hand from his mouth as she pointed around the corner. "Help me catch them." she whispered again, pulling him along as he raised an eyebrow. He stopped her quickly, pulling her back behind him as his left hand set itself on fire.

"… Doesn't that hurt?" she asked, only the have his flaming middle finger blow a puff of smoke in her general direction. After a few moments of listening to the sobs Kevin charged around to corner, only to be blasted backwards by a ball of fire.

"STAY AWAY FR- Oh shit! Wrong person wrong person!" a red headed teenaged girl went running to the wall Kevin had been slammed into as Gwen stared, then turned to her left and saw a black haired boy sniffling in the corner, clutching his arm. She let out a gasp and ran to him, helping him stand.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she looked into his face, a miniature Kevin looking up at her. The same boy as before. "… I knew it! I told you that kids were on this ship Kevin!" she barked as she ran her hand along the boys arm as she knelt in front of him, healing the bruised bone to the best of her ability.

"No shit!" he barked back as he came out of the hole he'd been shot into, the red headed teen pulling him up. "What the fuck are you two stow-aways doing on my ship?" he asked as he held his fiery hand to the girls throat.

"D-DON'T touch M-MY sister!" the boy stuttered out as his eyes grew wide and his threw his hands out, light bluish purple bubbles engulfing Kevin's hands as they formed together behind him. The boy quickly clutched his arm back to his chest.

"Oh Druce, come here, I'll fix it!" the girl said as a long strand of black hair fell from her face. Gwen put her hand out before the boy as she stood and stared at them both.

"Hold up! I'm going to ask questions and I will get answers from you both!" she said sternly.

"Sure, get them to bake you cookies while you're at it. Get me out of this!" Kevin barked as he walked to her. Gwen only rolled her eyes and turned back to the children.

"I'm not helping you." she barked. The boy began to sob as his sister healed his arm, glaring at the corner of the floor.

"Damn it. No wonder she sent us." she mumbled as she stood with her brother. "I'm Kitten. This is my brother, Druce. We're here on a mission."

"D-Direct me t-to Au-I mean G-Gorg!" Druce stuttered out as his face flushed and he gripped his sisters arm.

"Gwen, get me out of this thing, it's starting to annoy me!" Kevin barked. Gwen rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, only to get Kevin flipping his middle finger at her as he pulled his arms to his front. "Get it off!"

"Fine damn it!" she barked, waving her hand and muttering an enchantment. "You two, I'll deal with you later, follow me Druce." she took the boys hand and began to walk.

"What the fuck did I do?" the two behind her cursed.

"Watch your mouth brat." Kevin barked as he grabbed Kitten's arm and dragged her along behind him as he stormed after Gwen. "I'm going to skin her. Or something equally painful." he growled out.

After several minutes Kevin pushed the teenager into the room as Druce stood before Gorg, blue lights flying around him as everything seemed calm. He stomped over to Gwen and grabbed her by the shoulder, shoving her to face him as a flash of light hit his eyes oddly, only to watch tears stream down her face.

He gave a questioned look, and turned back to the boy, watching as his hands bleed, his sister wrapping her arms around him and placing her hands over his, blood running down the boys face as if he was sobbing. He froze and watched, a begging look on Druce's face.

"Please don't die… Itis..." he whispered out, more blue lights. Kevin quickly pulled Gwen to his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt as a strange surge shot through them both.

Slowly he felt his knees give out. _'The fuck is going on?'_ he thought as he lost his breath, feeling nothing but his mind slip into white before Gwen slapped him in the face.

"Why the hell did you grab my shoulders so hard you jack ass!" she barked, and suddenly nothing had happened in the last few minutes. Druce simply stood before Gorg, blue lights healing her stomach, Kitten rubbing her arm from where he had grabbed her and drug her into the room, Hinu being grumpy.

He stared down at Gwen and glared, grabbing her wrist. "I need to talk to you." he barked as he dragged her out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11

"Kevin! You're hurting my arm, let me go!" Gwen forced the iron cast grip off of her wrist as she was shoved into the mattress of Kevin's bed. "Damn it what the hell is it? I needed to stay in there with Gorg!" she snapped, only to be silenced as Kevin glared at her before standing before her, hands on either side of her hips.

"Did you see that whole, 'bloody tears' thing going on just then?" he barked out, only to have the red head stare at him with a questioned gaze.

"Bloody… what? Who was crying? Gorg? Sure there was bl-"

"No! From that Druce kid! Did you see the blood and hear him talking? What the hell is going on anyway?" he snapped as he stood, holding his side as he paced with a slight wince. Gwen only sat up as she flattened the frizz in her hair from all the stress leading up to that day.

"Kevin... you've lost your mind. Flat out. Not me. You." she pointed between them for a few seconds as she spoke before standing. "I need to get back to Gorg." she took a few steps forward and reached for the door.

A crystallized bullet shot an inch above her hand and she jumped back, turning to hear Kevin scream as he held his sides tightly, knees slamming to the ground.

"... Kevin?..." she muttered in a whisper as she stepped toward him, hand extended lightly.

"Get out already!" he shouted, his voice scratching again as the muscles along his back twitched and rippled downward. Gwen shivered gently as she stood in place for another minute, listening to the panting and groaning coming from Kevin's throat as his skin began to turn a deep shade of red.

"Kevin... are you ok?" she reached her hand out again, grabbing his shoulder gently, only to have it pushed away and her sleeve burnt as he swatted her arm off with his now fire ridden left arm. His right was slowly being encased in crystal as he tried to stand.

"Hurry up and get out..." he muttered, still clutching his side.

"Kevin..." the red head stood in her spot, watching Kevin's spine retracted and expand as he screamed in agony, fighting back a transformation he'd been close to several times. She felt her body freeze.

Her mind began to race, her head spinning as her eyes filled with tears, listening to his screams of agony as her feet glued themselves to the floor and her brain screamed to run away and never come back.

_'He... he was never able to control it... How did I forget him...'_ her mind whispered as her feet moved forward slowly, the water in her eyes fogging her vision.

"Gwen... please get out..." the last bits of his voice faltered through and began to crack.

"I'm not leaving you!" she shouted out, remembering what she'd forgotten after her parents finally divorced. She had shoved their separation years into the very back of her mind with therapy and help from her grandmother, and the memory of her only New York friend with it.

She quickly ran to her once best friend and threw her arms around his neck as he screamed in agony. "I promised you I wouldn't ever leave when I came back... and I did before but now I'm here!" she cried out as the diamonds on his hands cut into her arms, blood dripping slowly onto the floor as his changing skin burned or cut her.

"What promise? Just leave already!" he shouted, looking as if he was on the verge of tears himself as his eyes turned a sharp green. She only shook her head, holding onto him.

"The parents who were arguing in the store were mine! When you saved me from that stupid jerk when we first met. God Kevin, I remember all of it." she winced slightly, her grip loosening as the pain escalated and blood poured from her arms.

With a loud bang though the door flew in, the red head named Kitten came running over to them both with a bottle in her hand. A sudden wash of heaviness hit the 18 year old woman as she felt like her insides were swaying.

Slowly she felt her grip loosen on Kevin's neck, all the blood lose she'd ever gotten was finally catching up to her. The entire time she was on this ship she'd been low on blood and knew she needed to rest or she'd need a transfusion again.

Too late.

"Gwen?"

"Hey... Grandpa... have you seen Eddie?" Ben finally asked as the older man put his coat on, the tropical flowers near the end pretending to sway.

"Edwin? No, not since his visit last week. Why?" Max asked as he buttoned the front of his coat. Ben sat up and rubbed his arm, the I.V. finally out of his skin. All tubes had been removed because of Beny and Tamy being… extremely good at nursing.

"Oh... just wondering. Kind of miss having the company of someone my own age I guess..." he said as he looked away, feeling the lump in his throat swell tighter. He hadn't yelled at him, he hadn't shunned him either.

Instead he'd just made some smart ass remark after their kiss, and Edwin was his only outside source looking for Gwen since Grandpa Max refused to leave more than 20 minutes at a time.

"I'll go get the Rust bucket… you wait here." Max said as he left the room and walked away. Ben stood slowly, rushing to the window and looking for any sign or his best friend being there, but he got nothing but rainy weather again and frowned.

He let his forehead thunk to the glass as he felt like crying. "God Ben! Why are you always such an ass?" he nearly chocked out, holding his wrist as he fought back tears.

"You're not always an ass," Tamy's voice called from the doorway as Ben turned to her, "You've even got a last minute visitor. Walked here in the rain." she moved aside, showing Edwin standing there, and he was soaked to the bone as he stepped into the room.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk…" she said with a smirk as she closed the door.

Ben stood still, letting the tears pour for once as he bit his lip. Edwin only crossed his arms and smiled at him. "Can't do anything without me can you?" he asked the brunette as he took a step forward.

"I'm scared." Ben whispered as he looked straight at his friend. "Scared I'll never find Gwen, scared I'm not fully healed, scared you hate me-" he was cut off as Edwin ran to him and threw his arms around him, holding the back of his head and neck as he kissed him.

There were a few moments of silence before Ben threw his arms around Edwin as well, their lips finally parting.

"I don't hate you. You just drive me insane." Edwin said as he wiped tears off Ben's face.

".. You're soaked..." Ben said with a chuckle as he rubbed his nose and let out a sniffle. Edwin only laughed as he shook his head, splattering Ben with water.

"I know. Isn't it great? Never walked that far in the rain... pissed my old man off, but I don't care." he said as he let his head rest on Ben's shoulder. "... He finally found out I'm gay…" he said with a nervous laugh.

"Is that why you had to walk here in the rain? Cuz' he thought we were having se-"

"I ran here. And if you finish that sentence I'll kick you in the ribs." Edwin said as he gave a small glare.

Ben only chuckled as he kissed his friends forehead. "You're not tall enough." He muttered back.

"Same height as you!" the black haired boy barked as he pulled his head back, only to have Ben kiss him with a coy smirk. Edwin pushed him back, a blush across his face. "I talked to Tamy... I have things to talk to you about..." he leaned into Ben's chest again then, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Come home with me. I'm not letting you out of my sight for the next three days. Because three is a funny number. So ju-Ummf!" Edwin had rolled his eyes and pushed Ben into the hospital bed, and as he took a step forward to pounce him, Beny walked in with a wheel chair.

"Sorry boys, no sex in my hospital." she said simply, wheeling the chair over to the bed as Edwin's face flushed. The brunette only laughed as he stood, ruffling Edwin's hair and sitting in the wheel chair.

"Can he sit with me?" the hero asked, pointing to Edwin.

"How much do you weigh?" the monotone nurse asked before smirking at the glare the boy gave her. "Hop on, if I get in trouble I'm blaming you… and let me get you a towel, your soaked." the woman let go of the chair and turned toward the cabinets, unlocking them and handing the black haired boy a warmed towel. He immediately started to dry his hair, sitting with Ben as the other boy helped him dry off.

After a long fluff of towel parts and sit in an elevator, Ben wrapped his arms around Edwin's waist, causing the boy to blush and pry his hands away.

"What if someone see?" he whispered.

"Let them. I'm happy for once. Just... let it last a little longer." Ben said with a soft sigh, wrapping his arms back around his friends waist. Edwin could only blush brighter as the black haired woman stopped the wheel chair outside and under the coverage as it poured.

Her cell phone went off quickly to an odd tune, and she flipped it open. "Baby?" she said softly, starting to walk away from the men. "What's up sweetie, you sound miserable."

"Look, I can see the rust bucket." Edwin quickly stood from his friends lap and pushed the chair forward.

"I can walk you know..." he said as he placed his hand to his chin. Edwin only chuckled.

"I know. I also don't care." he said as he looked back at the nurse.

A strong, warm hand squeezed hers as she felt cold air hitting her face repeatedly. With a groan she lifted her hand, pulling off an oxygen mask as another warm hand cupped her face.

"It'll be our secret friendship code or something." an all too familiar voice whispered as she felt something thick and cool press into her hand. She slowly let her eyes open, Kevin was sitting on the long stretcher bed beside her in his bedroom.

"Where... how long have I... been asleep?" she hissed, grabbing her arm and dropping the cool object as Kevin helped her sit up and pulled her back to his chest.

"Forget it. I'm taking you back to Earth... I don't have enough medical supplies to keep treating your ass. I'm dropping you off at the nearest hospital and we're leaving!" he barked, hiding his face behind his hair.

Gwen just rolled her eyes before leaning back. _'What was I remembering earlier... it seemed so important... God, my head is killing me! What the hell is going on?'_

"Why now? Why not when I kept begging you huh?" Kevin pushed her back to the bed gently before standing and walking toward the door.

"Kevin! Answer me!" she shouted as he slammed the door to the room shut with his exit. She brought the pillow to her face and screamed into it, falling back into the bed. She inhaled deeply before screaming again, gripping the pillow tightly over her head; she felt like sobbing. The door reopened, but she kept the pillow over her face.

"Go. Away... Now." she said flatly through the cotton of the pillow fluff. Soft footsteps sounded, not like Kevin's bulky thumps he made with his shoes.

"Mm... G-Gwen..." the soft stutter of the boy named Druce filled her ears and she moved the pillow to her chest, eyeing him softly.

"Yeah, hun?" she asked, tired and hungry suddenly.

"P-Please... d-don't b-be mad at... K-Kevin..." he looked to the side, his fingers to his lips. "I... I know I c-can't really... s-say a... anything to butt in... b-but..." he shivered slightly and Gwen sat up.  
"I-I... 'm going... through a b-bit... of trouble myself w-with... my... my..." his faced flushed brightly and Gwen smiled.

"Come sit, it'll be easier on you." she said, taking a liking to the adorable boy before her. He blushed a brighter shade of red and walked to the stretcher beside her, hoisting himself onto the seat and pulling a pillow into his lap.

"Now, tell me what's on your mind." she said, holding her own pillow similar to how he was.

"B-But I c-came in to m-make you feel b-better!" he said with a slightly frown. Gwen only giggled before leaning forward, brushing hair from his face.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not mad at Kevin." _'I just want to blast him into the sun's orbit a few thousand times.'_

Druce smiled before blushing again. "H-He's... a b-boy... t-the one I l-like... I think I l-like him at least. I d-don't know t-though... this is so embarrassing..." he face was now a rival to any red heads as he blushed and let his hair fall in front of his eyes.

"Oh, hun," Gwen lifted the boys chin, kissing his forehead, "what's the first thing you think of when you think of the person you like?" she asked him. He smiled, his blush staying.

"... H... his voice..." he said gently, his fingers twisting tightly together. "No m-matter how scared I'd get, or h-how much I-I'd stutter, j... just listening to him t-talk to me... it... it always made me feel... so..." the blush grew bright across he pail cheeks. Gwen smiled, it was refreshing it see something so innocent be so serious.

"Perfect?" Gwen asked gently, feeling oddly better with this small boy around. He nodded, his face flushed brilliantly.

"Y-Yes!" he squeaked out, clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Calm down, calm down, deep breaths." she reached out and felt his forehead. A loud heart beat sounded in her ears once, as if it were pulsing through her skull. She quickly pulled her hand back.

"Oh no? I-I must have a fever! I-I'll go tell Kitten! Y-You g-get some rest Ms. G-Gwen!" the boy quickly stumbled up from his seat, heading toward the door in a run.

_'What... was that noise...just now?'_ Gwen thought to herself as she held the side of her head. As Druce reached for the door, it swung open, the red head he was looking for stood there, her face drained of its color.

"Kitten?" the woman stumbled in, falling to her knees as the boy quickly grabbed her by her shoulders. "Sis!" the girl groaned, clutching her stomach.

"What's going on?" Gwen quickly began pulling the medical devices off her, healing what little she could as fast as she could.

"Dr… Druce... look at you..." the girl in his arms was sobbing hysterically. "Still... so much... time for you..." she smiled as Gwen stood from the bed, her legs felt like rubber.

"D-Don't fall asleep!" Druce sobbed, clinging to his sister. "I... I can't loose you... p-please... d-don't fall a-asleep." he began to have tears fall from his eyes.

"What's going on?" Gwen finally shouted, her temper rising as Kevin walked into the doorway.

"Get back in bed." he barked, arms crossed. "There's no hope for them. Either of them. Now stop wasting energy and get in bed." he repeated the bark, his face coming into view.

"Tell me what's going on Kevin!" she shouted, walking toward the two children.

"Get back in bed!" he repeated.

"J-Just tell her!" Druce shouted. "S-She has a r-right to k-know!" the boy was sobbing hysterically still as his sister shivered and coughed, keeping her hand to her mouth.

"Kevin! Please, what's-"

"They're our kids!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the doorway. Gwen sighed and helped Druce bring Kitten over the stretcher she had been on.

"Stop playing games with my head, Kevin. I'm tired of this." the red head snapped as she looked down at the girl, running her hand over her chest, only to have her magic shot back into her hand as she shrieked and held it to her chest.

"If I wanted to play games I'd have left you for the bastard to rape when we were younger damn it Gwen. They're _OURS_. Look at them, both of them. How can you not see it? They look like us because WE had them!" Kevin was now shouting and fuming, walking into the room.

Gwen looked back at Druce, who was nothing more than a younger, brighter colored haired version of Kevin wit a different personality. She shifted her gaze to Kitten.

She looked just like she had when she was 10, only the black hair stripe, her breathing coming out in chocking gasps. Gwen glared back at him. "Age gap you idiot! They can't be ours!" she yelled.

"Momma p-please stop fighting with him!" Druce screamed over both of them.

"Time travel, Gwen. It's not that hard!" Kevin shouted back. The 18 year old froze. Time travel.

_'They're... mine... no... ours? How the... but... I'd never... not with Kevin... ours?'_ she held her head again with a groan wobbling forward as Kevin caught her.

She refused to look up at him, her head spinning drastically. "I... I'm a mom?"

"If y-you two keep f-fighting Kitten's g-gonna die! The m-more you f-fight, the less c-chance she ever h-has of being born!" Druce sobbed, clutching his sisters hand. "I-I don't w-wanna loose m-my sister!" he continued to cry, leaned over the stretcher. "I-I w-wish... he was h-here... s-so much." he whispered.

Gwen broke from Kevin's grasp and ran to the child that might one day be hers, hugging him to her chest as he let go of his sisters hand and sobbed into her shoulder.

"Shhhh, it's ok baby... It's ok." she looked back at Kevin, their eyes locking as she comforted the boy. He sighed, walking toward the girl on the stretcher, rubbing her arm.

"Hey… hang in there ok?" he said in an awkward tone, holding the girls hand as she looked back up at him, half lidded eyes as she nodded.

_'Why does everything have to be so fucked up all the time?'_ Kevin and Gwen both thought at once.


	12. Chapter 12

Edwin groaned, pulling back from the kiss as he drew his tongue out of the other males mouth with a bit of hesitation. He panted, eyes half lidded as he ran his fingers down the scars and covered stitches on his friends chest.

If they could still be called friends though. For the past half hour since Ben had dragged him into his apartment he'd shed his soaked clothes and changed into dry ones.

Only to have Ben pull his top off and pin him to the bed, forcing his tongue into his mouth. And they had been making out the entire time since then. Edwin's dream come true in a violently insane situation, that if failed would ruin everything for more than just him.

"... Ben... hold on..." Edwin gasped as Ben leaned down for another kiss. "I... god I can barely catch my breath..." he whined gently, trying to squirm out from under the brunettes hold with a blush.

The one thing he'd dreamt of secretly he was scared of right now.

Ben tightened his grip on his wrists, licking his lips before sighing. "You realize you're a great kisser right?" he asked, smiling as he watched the black haired male flush even brighter and let out a squeak.

"Ben! Let me go! We aren't even dating!" he squeaked out, watching as a smirk spread across the brunettes face as he forced his lips back onto his.

When he broke, Ben started to chuckle. "Then go out with me." he stated, kissing him again.

Gwen sat quietly on Kevin's bed, sobbing her eyes out for the millionth time for who knows what reason now. Everything was too fast, too slow, too loud. So she ran out of the room as fast as she could as Kitten and Druce tried explaining just what was really going on here.

Everything was so jumbled up in her head then that she ignored every sound around her.

_'How... how did all of this start? What... I can almost see it...'_ she fought with herself for several more tear filled moments.

_'Oh yea... it's my fault...'_ she thought in a miserable tone, sobbing harder. _'I betrayed Kevin, and I had no proof to back my stupid actions up. I got jealous and fucking betrayed him... god I'm such an idiot.'_ she wailed into the empty room, pulling at her hair, causing as much pain to her body as she could without pulling anything out or off.

_'I should have just asked him if he'd done it! Why the FUCK didn't I ask him. Why'd I just set him up like that? God... he was bringing me ROSES!'_ her mind screamed, envisioning a younger teen Kevin holding a bouquet of flowers and standing under a tree, his car parked far off in the distance.

Every date was mixed up in her head, one minute she'd see one thing, the next everyone was gone. She'd asked her grandmother, and the woman told her to get back to her in a year, but only laughed as she started explaining.

_'Well, it sure has been a year hasn't it? Why the hell is everything getting worse?'_ her mind nearly screamed as she drug her nails down her arms as hard as she could.

She heard the door open but refused to look up, continuing to sob. _'I want to disappear. Just get out of here... I hurt Kevin... I did it, no one else!'_ she heard heavy boots clunk toward her and let out a wail as she dug her nails deeper into her arms.

She wanted blood to ooze out of the scratches so she could pass out until she was home and never leave her room again.

"Why did you run like that?" a deep voice asked as someone knelt in front of her.

"G-Go away!" she sobbed out, hugging her legs to her chest now.

"No damn it, I'm not leaving you anymore. This pisses me off when you get like this!" a warm hand lifted her tear stricken face as she was now eye level with the one man she was avoiding.

"W-Why aren't you mad?" she sobbed out.

"I just said I was pissed." he said in an all to obvious tone.

"T-Then why won't you kill me!" she nearly screamed, closing her eyes and slumping forward as he caught her.

Kevin had gotten out of the null void for a month at a time to leave the red head gifts before being forced back in to help the Plumber children rescue others. They'd flirted, tossed words, and become closer than they had ever thought.

Yet he'd promised to meet her one day in a place she'd been scared of since she was 10. Swearing to keep her safe so they could go star gazing.

Ben had taken her to the smoothie shop so he could torment her about her 'date' that he knew nothing of. There she heard rumors, things that made her heart shake and her insides shiver about the male she'd become so fond of. Things she didn't even remember now.

She'd told a plumber that Kevin would be at the meeting place, and told him of all the rumors. As Kevin struggled to get away he ended up wounding the plumber to an acute limb loss. As he ran to Gwen, Ben tossed him away with some Alien or another that was nothing more than a blur in her fading memory, and in rage Kevin had fought him.

As Gwen rolled the null void egg toward the black haired male though, she realized she'd coughed up blood; that was when she'd forced more answers from her grandmother.

_'A lot of us go through things like that around your age deary, and it isn't blood. It's your unneeded... parts you could call them, regrowing as your powers advance. It can be brought on forced by an action or just hit naturally.'_ her grandmother had told her in an almost sickeningly sweet tone.

She was slowly dieing and regrowing everything. It made her so tired, it made her forget and remember, it made her over emotional.

And it hurt.

She sobbed loudly into Kevin's shoulder as he held her quietly. "Because no matter how much I hate you, I still love you. Happy? I'll never say it again! Once was enough, and you didn't listen then anyway!" he barked, squeezing her tighter.

"Now just forget I ever said it and pass out like you always do." he said sadly, his own body shaking as she realized he was crying onto her shoulder as well.

"There are things I never wanted to relive Gwen... you were the biggest one. Yet I wake up to you in my bedroom for the past few days? God, I've wanted to just kill you so many times, then others just hold you and never let go! And you'll never remember any of it!" he barked, never letting his hold on her go.

Gwen felt her head spin. _'What I wouldn't give to not be part alien right now.'_ she groaned gently, closing her eyes to cling to him.

"I remember..." she muttered, sighing as she felt her body slowly limp itself. "And I want you to hate me." she mumbled, feeling herself slip into that ever dreaded darkness she called sleep.

Edwin sat up sharply, pulling the covers over his naked torso as he squeaked in slow realization. He stared straight ahead, his face flushed. "... did I just... last night... with Ben?" he looked around, realizing his clothes were tossed across the floor as his face flushed as he fell backwards.

"Morning to you too." Ben's voice mumbled from beside him as he pulling the pillow off of his head and smiled, stretching and sitting himself up to rub his cheek.

"Where are my pants. I feel like waffles. You feel like waffles?" Ben stood, no regard for his undressed state as he shifted through the clothes on the floor.

"Ben!" Edwin let out a squeak as he covered his eyes, face flushed even harder.

"What?" the brunette asked, still looking through the clothes.

"You're _naked_!" he hissed the last word, his face inflaming. The brunette stood straight then, looking down. Slowly a look of realization hit him as he squeaked with his own terrified noise and grabbed the cover, letting Edwin have the sheet.

"What the hell happened last night?" he asked, wrapping the cover around his waist.

"I don't _know_! The last thing I remember is telling you I'd go out with you. Now this? For the love of god Ben if you took advantage of me I'll kill you!" Edwin rambled out, hugging the sheet to his chest.

"Eddie! Don't- What? No, I mean that's what I wanted- No! Oh god." Ben quickly fell backwards in a sitting position, hands at either sides of his hips and his legs bent. "What happened last night?" he let out in a near shrill, his face starting to redden.

"I don't know! I was asking you! Where are your clothes? I only see mine!" Edwin was now as red as he got, hiding behind his arms.

"Well... we went out for Mojitos... oh my god Edwin we were hammered last night because of Mojitos!" Ben shrieked.

"We aren't old enough to go drinking! And I don't even LIKE Mojitos!" Edwin nearly screamed, and Ben stood, walking to him and pulling him in for a hug.

"Breath, I know when you're freaked you forget humans need oxygen. Big breaths, big deep breaths." Edwin clung to Ben's frame, shivering as he looked up at him.

"Ben... I don't think we had... you know..." he made a few gestures with his hands, "but if we went out and got _drunk_ what is everyone going to think? What did we even do? And why don't I have a hangover. And how do I know I don't like Mojitos if I've never had one, and-" Ben quickly cut him off by placing his hand over his mouth.

"Ok, I love you Eddie, really I do, but shut up and let me think." Edwin quickly flushed again as he pulled Ben's hand away from his mouth.

"You love me?" he asked, a serious but extremely red face on as he tried to keep himself from squealing in delight.

Ben felt his face flush as he realized what came out of his mouth. After all the years he'd known Edwin, was it really love? He shivered, realizing how close Edwin was. He looked him over, his hair messy and shaggy with a few fading bite marks on his neck, his skin flushed.

"I love you." he said happily, lifting his face and bringing their lips together gently. Edwin squeaked, pinning Ben for once.

"Ok so, you put this in both their drinks and I save your baby." Kitten said, having been moved into Gorg and Hinu's room to keep an eye on the pregnant naga. She held out a small green vial, swirling the contents about as her younger brother nearly shrieked.

"K-Kitten! I-I thought we t-took that a-away from you!" Druce stuttered quickly, gasping as he nearly dropped the tray with two plastic cups filled with orange juice in his hands.

"I stole it back. Do we have a deal?" the redhead asked, brushed the black bang from her face. Hinu glanced back at Gorg and the woman turned her head in shame before nodding.

"Anything... just... save my baby." Gorg nearly whimpered, the shame written across her face brighter than her pain.

"Kitten w-we c-can't do that! I-It's not r-ri-"

"Stuff it Dru! If you ever want to see him you have to do as I say, you understand me?" Kitten sat up quickly, clutching her ribs as Hinu took the vile, spilling the contents into the cups.

Druce looked over at her, pale and wide eyed as he bit his lip. He hands shook as he clenched them into fists, purple sparks jetting about him. "D-Don't ever yell a-at me..." he shook harder, the lights flickering.

Gorg quickly reached out and pulled the child to her side as he started panting, realizing he had been trying to go into a rage as he whimpered and bit his index finger.

"Hush now, shhh." the woman gently rocked the young male as he continued to shake.

"Druce, I don't like this either. But it's either this, or we both die." Kitten whimpered, rubbing her forehead of sweat. "And I won't last much longer." she muttered that last bit, her face hung in tears as Hinu watched them, a low whimper of his own as he left. He had been refusing to speak.

Kitten smiled, standing from her bed several moments later as she wiped her eyes. "Let's go see Unta."


	13. Chapter 13

Various things from bite marks, cuts and long gashes from their fingernails, kisses, blood, gasps of pain and pleasure, bits and pieces of what had happened last night, but none of it was clear enough to really puzzle together.

But she knew her bra was missing.

Also that the sheets were ripped, the glasses they'd been drinking from rolled under the bed. The wall had a hole in it from Kevin's fist. How that piece of rage got there was blurry, but how her jeans had decided to hang from the wall stuck on the 'art' Kevin had plastered there was even blurrier.

Some flashy form of groaning from beside woke her a bit further, but it didn't really click so she ignored it. She rolled to her other side and yawned, looking at her shoes on the floor. The shoe laces were still tied.

And then she realized she was naked.

A long scream echoed about the ship as Unta quickly dove/swam behind a large coral as Druce flushed, pressing his face to the glass. "Y-You have it so e-easy." he whimpered, the only other in the room besides the mer-child. "Y-You can't g-get in t-trouble in a t-tank." he mumbled.

The teen woman peered from behind her coral safety shield, eyebrow raised. "Don't say things like that." she whispered, her voice soft and watery. "You aren't in a tank forever." she said softly with a sigh.

"It won't b-be forever." Druce said as he looked up, hand to the glass as Unta slipped around toward the front of her tank, placing her hand to it as if to touch Druce's.

"Promise?" she asked softly, her face longing. Druce smiled, nodding as he pressed his hand closer.

"P-Promise. B-But right now I-I gotta g-go, g-gotta go c-clean up a m-mess." he stuttered out, looking back in the direction of the scream. Unta nodded back, smiling and shooing him with her other hand.

"Go on, and be careful ok." her voice was sweet and calm as he left the room, walking into the dark hallway with a sigh as he rubbed his arm.

"I-I can do t-this." he stated, hand to his chest as he set out at a run. He pushed his hand out off his face, looking up to see the door kicked open as Gwen stormed out in a long and very quickly thrown on night dress. He groaned, watching her stomp toward the Naga's room.

He took a deep breath, letting it out quickly before rushing into the room as he saw Kevin sit up on his bed in his jeans, rubbing a large slap mark on his face.

"Oh, hey Druce. What're you doing up?" he asked the teen as he yawned. Druce took a deeper breath.

"I-I'm sorry. I-It w-was Kitten's i-idea, s-she made H-Hinu g-give you t-the o-orange juice a-an-"

"Orange juice? When did Hinu give us orange juice?" Kevin asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked over the stuttering teen.

"L-Last n-night." Druce stuttered out as his face flushed a brilliant red. Kevin stared at him awkwardly before shaking his head.

"Hinu didn't come in the room last night though Druce." he said simply. The younger male froze, his spine tingling.

"S-So y-you a-a-an-"

"Calm down Druce! Take a breath and tell me what's going on?" Kevin said standing and grabbing a black shirt from the floor as he adjusted his lip ring from the slap.

"K-Kitten... and H-Hinu... w-with the o-orange juice... b-but you d-didn't drink it... a-and... d-did you sl-sleep with mom last night?" the end of his sentence came out in a high pitched squeak.

"Don't you think that's kind of a personal question?" Kevin asked with a sly smirk as he pulled on two worn black socks. Druce turn a brilliant shade of burgundy.

"Y-You D-DID! I-I mean I kn-know you... but..." Druce held his head as he squeaked.

"Go talk to your sister." Kevin said simply, grabbing his boots as Druce quickly ran from the room, his face as red as it got. He huffed out, running toward the room he knew his sister to be in.

Once he got there he saw Gwen giving a large scolding to the red head as she sat happily on the stretcher, her face full of color as she chuckled every now and then.

"And then you go off and pull _this_ type of stunt, trying to make it happen?" Gwen barked out as Druce quickly looked across the room.

Gorg lay in bed, towel over her eyes with a sigh. Druce shivered, walking to the naga.

"H-Has she... h-helped the b-baby yet?" he whispered, and Gorg only smiled, pointing toward the back of the room.

"Three hours of labor for him my darling, I have such a low tolerance for pain." she said wispily, and Druce walked around the bed to a crib which Hinu was currently standing over, arms on the bars as his tail flittered back and forth, an obviously elated father.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, walking over to the other side of the crib and holding back a chocking sob as he looked down at the baby boy.

He was half awake, kicking his human legs about, the cat looking ears atop his head twitching as he cooed and squirmed about in the blue blankets. Druce let out a wail, turning his back as he slid down the crib, his back to it as he cried.

The other occupants in the room hushed their banter as Kitten stood, running over to her brother. "Shhh, it's ok. He has 10 fingers, 10 toes. He's the same guy you know." she reassured him as she hugged him to her chest. Druce shook his head as he swallowed a lump down again.

"I-I wanna go h-home! N-Now!" he wailed out, clinging to his sister as she cradled him in her arms. Kitten looked up as Kevin entered the room, leaning against the doorway silently.

"I guess we've out stayed our welcome really." Kitten said softly, helping her brother stand as she held out her hand, pressing it to a wall.

"So, see you when she gives birth in 9 months?" Kevin asked with a chuckle.

"I am not pregnant! We did nothing last night!" Gwen barked out, glaring at the male as Gorg sighed.

"Hmm? If you insist on denying have se-"

"Do not even go there Kevin Levin, I will blast your head off." Gwen said with a huff. A large swirl began to spin outward from Kitten's fingers as she smiled, taking a step back.

"We'll see you both in a while!" Kitten said as the 'portal' turned glass like, a tall blond male with green dyed tips and cat like ears atop his head as he turned, waving franticly from the other side.

Druce looked up nearly shrieked in joy, tears rolling down his face. "ITIS!" he screamed out as he ran through the glass, he was quickly scooped up and clung to as the two kissed, silent as they sobbed and held each other close on the other side. Kitten could only smile.

"Remember to have him mom, if not you'll have one angry cat on your hands." she said with a chuckle.

"He's part dog, not cat." Hinu corrected sternly as he looked up with a slight glare, Gorg only laughed happily as she reached out to take her mates hand. "And my son. Our son." he kissed Gorg's hand as he turned back to her.

"Yea, see. Lovey dovey crap. My parents need to do that. Oh! And uh, catch, dad." Kitten pulled out a small velveteen box from her pocket and tossed it at Kevin with a sigh. The 19 year old looked at it with a puzzled expression, catching it in one hand and turning it over.

He chuckled after a minute, looking over to Gwen as she gave him her own puzzled expression.

"I know you're still mad at me," he said to Gwen, wrapping an arm around her waist as she glared after he walked over. "But those two if nothing else deserve life right?" he said as Kitten rolled her eyes, walking into the glass like portal with a tired yawn.

Gwen grumbled, looking away as she crossed her arms defiantly. "Do I get another chance?" he whispered so only she would hear it. The words were very gentle and Gwen looked up at him, her face flushed.

"I... I'll think about it. _Think_. And I'm not pregnant." she mumbled, never once removing his hand from her waist as she looked down to her feet, now finding them extremely interesting.

"Hinu, redirect our course to Earth once you're done cooing over your brat." Kevin barked, letting go of Gwen quickly as he shifted his weight. "I need a shower." he stated with a chuckle as he walked out of the room, pocketing the box after tossing it up once.

"He's insufferable!" Gwen stated as the door closed, huffing as she walked over to the crib and smiled down at the baby. "I thought we were already going to Earth." she whispered with a smirk.

Gorg chuckled, sitting up and moving hair from her face. "Kevin is known to change his mind Ms. Gwen." she said simply. Gwen only smiled and sighed.

"Ugh, the worst part is, I know that already."

"So... we have to tell your grandfather _now_?" Edwin asked, feet planted firmly in their place as he looked at the large doorway.

"Yes, /inow/i Eddie, don't worry though. This is Grandpa Max, my grandpa Max, everything will be fine." Ben said as he laughed, walking back to take Edwin's hand and pull him along toward the doorway.

"He's going to hate me now Ben." Edwin stated, shivering.

"He doesn't hate you, he won't hate you, and you need to stop freaking out." Ben stopped them again, hands on either side of Edwin's shoulders as he kissed his forehead. "He'll understand." he restated.

Edwin just looked to the side, biting his lip. "Hey, none of that, I love you. I want grandpa to know that." And with that Ben started dragging the more than reluctant teen inside the building.

"But don't we have more pressing matters to worry about? One of them being finding your missing cousin." Edwin groaned out as he tried pulling back as Ben pulled him along the halls.

"We've been scanning for her mana traces and grandma is being contacted to track her down. Don't worry, just because I'm not out there looking like a hound dog doesn't mean I'm not worried." he smiled as he pushed the door open, looking into the room.

"Grandpa! You in here?" his voice echoed about the room, a soft turn of footsteps as the man in question came into view, rag in hand as he wiped it clean of oil.

"Ben, Eddie! How are you two?" he called, waving them over. Ben smiled, a tight grip on the darker haired brunette as he dragged him along.

"Grandpa, I have some news. You got any for me?" Ben asked as he pulled Edwin in front of him, head on his shoulder as the older man went back to work.

"No, haven't heard from your grandma yet. What's your news, find Gwen yet?" Max asked, adjusting the wrench in his hand as he kept his eyes on the machine.

"I'm going out with Eddie, like, dating going out." as the words slipped out Edwin tried shrinking into nothing, his face drained off color, then filled with the bright red you see with pain or embarrassment.

"With Eddie? I thought you were dating Julie?" and the room got quiet. Edwin quickly turned; looping his hands into Ben's as the older of the two looked down, eyes over shadowed.

Silence parted the conversation.

"Julie... Julie fell out of love with me... remember, Grandpa Max?" and the teen super hero left it at that. Edwin scooped up both his hands to his chest, lifting his face so he could see Ben's eyes.

"Hey, don't you start." he muttered gently, smiling the best he could. "This was our happy moment... Ben..." but he shook his head, looking away for a moment. All this unaware to the busy at hand retired Plumber.

A quick crackle sounded from the badge on the table and Max tapped it, a holo of Verdona sliding up. "Max, I've got some good news for you darling." the alien cooed.

Max looked up, nearly dropping his wrench, Ben and Edwin turning toward the badge sharply.

"I found our little darling, and she's on her way home."


	14. Chapter 14

It was a long flight so far, but Gwen had spent the first majority of it sitting in front of a giant fish tank, wracking her brain for things she still called spells. Inside the glass tank bubbles slipped in the form of air as the sleeping mermaid laid curled up in the white fraction of sand at the bottom of her tank.

Needless to say, it had been one long day.

Around this time Gwen was starting to think her promise to the naga of fixing her sister would never get brought about. There were to many mana strings flowing around Unta to catch onto, to many to sort through to find the human strand.

"This would be so much easier if I could stay focused." she muttered under her breath gently as she shook her head again, opening her eyes to sigh. "Maybe I just need a break..."

"Ice cream?" Kevin's voice asked from behind her as he offered her a waffle cone full of strawberry ice cream. Gwen sighed, taking the cone from him and glaring at the opened book in front of her.

"Remind me where you got this?" she asked him as she set a finger on the tattered book page.

"Isn't it better _not_ to know?" he smirked as he sat beside her, looking inside the yellowing pages. "How can you read that crap?" he was rewarded with a quick slap to the back of his head as Gwen glared up at him.

"I'm trying to work here." she grumbled, eating at the ice cream as she flipped a page. "And shouldn't you be driving or navigating or something?"

"The ships on auto pilot, Gwen. Now, what are you doing out of bed with my kid in your belly?" he asked snide like.

"Oh for the last time Kevin Levin I am NOT pregnant! If I was carrying ANY kind of baby I'd feel his or her mana!" she glowered back to the book.

"Oh? So you don't deny sleeping with me now?"

"I will blast you into a million tiny pieces, or, better yet! Destroy your libido." she turned her face toward him, sighing gently. "I'm tired and I can't figure this out and it bothers me because I'm supposed to be able to understand this and be better at th-"

"Ok, then shut up." Kevin shut the book, shoving the last bit of his ice cream into his mouth.

"KEVIN! Do you have any idea-ahh! Put me down!" she shrieked and worked on not dropping her ice cream as Kevin grabbed her up one handed and tossed her onto his shoulder.

"Yes yes, bitch away my dear, it doesn't matter. You're going back to bed, you're _going_ to stay there, and you will relax." he said in a very demanding tone after chewing and swallowing his treat.

"But I have to-"

"No, you _want_ to. But you won't, not right now, right now you're going to shut up before I drop you into that fish tank." he barked.

"You're still an ass hole." she grumbled, using one arm to hug his neck as he switched her hold to a princess like style.

"I know, I've been practicing." he said with a chuckle. Gwen sighed gently as she let her throbbing head rest against his shoulder, after bidding a warm congratulations to Gorg she had decided to try her hand at meditation. The one place she new was free of anyone who's company wasn't overbearing or busy was Unta's room.

So she'd stumbled through the dark until she found it again, relaxing and chatting with the mergirl before the watery speech was slurred and Unta decided it was time she slept.

That was, of course, only after she pointed out a 'spell book' she'd known of under the table for Gwen to read through.

So that was where Gwen had spent the last three or four hours, just relaxing and spilling her mind trash to the mergirl and reading through the book all while trying to change the condition of her quiet friend. Her non-existent progress had earned her quite a migraine to boot.

The annoying mechanical swish of the electrical doors only made the pounding worse as she gripped Kevin's shirt. Sure he aggravated her, but she cared about him, it might not have been love anymore, but it was still important.

But was it ever love? She thought it over while rubbing her temples, sighing as she finished her ice cream. Kevin moved his hand in holding her as he set her on the bed with a smile.

"You, sleep, do a jigsaw, I dunno, just shut up and relax for once." he ordered as he sat and started unlacing his boots.

"If I had a pillow I'd hit you with it." she said simply, rolling onto her side to watch him. He really had grown up, it hadn't been to long really, but it had still been enough to change him.

His arms were built, his hands still big but worn even more than before, and his hair was still long. He sighed, laying on the bed and looking up at the canopy as Gwen snuggled to his side, his arm around her as she looked up with him.

It wasn't a romantic hold, it wasn't anything more than friendship. Gwen swore this up and down in her mind. All that they had left was friendship right, he didn't _really_ love her. He _loved_ her, sure, but he didn't love her now.

Right?

_'No more reflections.'_ she thought tiredly. "Hey, Kevin, when we get back to Earth, are you going to stay there this time?" she asked after a pause. He shrugged, sighing as he blinked a bit.

"I'm a wanted criminal and supposed murderer on Earth... and have a really girly bed on my ship, did you notice?" he turned his head to her and Gwen could only laugh, hugging his chest.

"Well I never!" he faked a hurt gasp, one hand to his chest as he upturned his nose.

"Oh shut up." she smiled, resting her head again. "I'll see about getting to pardoned." she said with a yawn.

"Gwen, they won't pardon me twi-" but she shoved a hand over his mouth.

"You, sleep, do a jigsaw, I dunno, just shut up and relax for once." she said as she mimicked him with a smirk. He moved her hand, smirking himself.

"You're a little brat." he kissed her forehead, causing her to blush as he sighed again. The peace was interrupted though as Hinu rushed in.

"Kevin, get in the Captain's room right now! We're being hailed!" he barked, hair tussled.

"What? I have the ship cloaked and masked, how-"

"Just do it!" Hinu snarled, pointing at the door. Kevin stood, growling low as his skin rippled, the vulpimancer in him trying to come out in anger. Gwen set her hand on his, standing next to him, it was warmer to the touch so she knew he was fighting transformation.

"I'll go with you." she said softly, smiling to try and calm him down. He hesitated but finally nodded, holding her hand in his as he started walking.

"Did they give a message in the hail?" he asked as they entered the hall, Hinu a bit in front of them since his tail was outstretched.

"Just that it was urgent, and that they were pissed." Hinu said dully, trying to calm his breathing. The walk was quiet and quick and once inside the room Kevin let her hand go as he sat in a chair, pressing his fingers on a screen and talking in an almost foreign language to the naga hybrid.

"Kevin, what can I do to help?" she asked, standing behind his chair.

"Just relax, I've got this." he said with a smirk as a large halo screen flew into view. The screen opened, the static buzzed and then switched on, a woman sitting in her own captains chair as he tapped her fingers in an annoyed way.

"Ahh, there we are. Took you long enough. I heard you have my grand daughter. And since she's still in that human form I had to get a ship to bring her home in so she wouldn't explode in space travel." Kevin groaned as the woman spoke quickly and at length.

"Grandma Verdona? Grandma! Hi!" Gwen leaned around the chair and waved at the woman happily. "How'd you find us?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh Gwen, you are ok. I knew you would be. You look so flush, I'm so happy. And mana dear, I _am_ a bit older and wiser than you think after all." Gwen giggled as her grand mother waved her wrist about as she spoke.

For an all powerful alien, she sure was stuck in the 60's.

"Anyway, ready your ship to be transferred, I'll just take Gwen home from here." Kevin's growl returned quickly.

"I never agreed to any transfer, nor will I, and if a beam comes within an inch of my ship I'll worp drive!" he snarled, nearly standing from his chair. Gwen moved her position, standing in front of Kevin and holding her hands up.

"Calm down Kevin, just-"

"I'LL take her home. Back your ship off!" he barked. Gwen sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders. She squeaked a bit when Kevin hugged her hips to him, holding her close. "She's on my ship, so she's apart of my crew. No member gets tossed just because your ship has bigger canons." he glared.

"How dare you talk to me like tha-"

"It's ok grandma. I'll be fine with Kevin. Can you relay a message to Grandpa Max that I'll be home soon?" she asked gently, unconsciously leaning into Kevin's hold.

"Gwendolyn I promised your grand father I'd bring you home safely." Gwen sighed and rubbed her head more.

"Grandma, I'm fine. I'll be home soon, in fact, you can follow us back-"

"No way!"

"So that you make sure I get home safely." Gwen finished like she'd never been interrupted, staring Kevin down with a serious expression. He gave her the same expression back then glowered, tightening his grip.

"Well, I guess that'll work kiddo." Verdona said with an almost all knowing smile.

"I hate your grandmother." Kevin whispered harshly, Gwen shushed him though with a finger as she shook her head.

"We'll talk later, ok grandma?" Gwen said with a smile as she turned her head to the screen. Verdona chuckled, nodding.

"Alright kiddo, I'll have my ship follow your friends. See you when you touch base on Earth." she smiled, waving before the transmission was cut.

"Gwen we are not having her ship foll-"

"Shut up Kevin." Gwen leaned down, kissing his forehead and sighing. "How much longer until we get back to Earth anyway?" she asked as Hinu moved his fingers along flat screen control panels.

"A day tops I guess. I was trying to save fuel." Kevin groaned, resting his head on her shoulder.

"You're awful touchy feeling lately, aren't you Kevin." Gwen muttered, letting him hang onto her form.

"Let me..." he muttered, hugging her waist tighter. And she looked down, patting his head with a smile. He didn't want to go back to Earth, that much was apparent.

After a while Kevin lifted her up, no quarrel beyond that from her as he walked back to the room. He set her down, sitting on the bed, back to her as he left his head down.

Gwen watched as he sulked, an obvious sign of his hatred of her leaving. "Hey... Gwen?"

"Yea Kevin?" she sat up, leaning on his back.

"Remember the first kiss you ever gave me?"

"Hmm?"

"On the roof of your house, it was back when you were 15. You'd decided to stay here instead of going with your grandma to learn more about mana control." he leaned back a bit and Gwen wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Yea, I remember. you told me you didn't want me going anywhere. That you thought it was lame." she smiled at the memory, glad she could remember it. Kevin took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Well... I don't want you going..." he muttered.

"But Kevin, Earth is my home."

"Not that! Gwen!" he groaned, looping his fingers with her hand. "I... I don't wanna loose you again..." he muttered. Gwen shivered a bit, that side of him only she knew. His sensitive funny side, the pieces of him she could remember, how he grumbled at fruit pulp to screaming like a girl at chipped paint on his old car.

"I know you don't." she squeezed his hand back, letting him lay down as he stretched, an arm open in invitation for her to join him. So she did, resting while laying snuggled to his side.

"Then don't?" he asked softly, a gently squeeze to her hand. But she didn't reply, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't think of the an answer.

She was friends with Kevin, they were in love at one point as well, but did that love still exist? Was she still in love with him now after all this? She really was rethinking her earlier thoughts.

She could think later though. Right now she just wanted sleep, snuggling up to Kevin was comfortable, when she was with him everything seemed to hurt less.

Of course there seemed to be a lot of drama tied to being around him just as well. Things seemed to get blown out of proportion, or just flat out blown up.

_'Oh well, I'll think after a nap. To much going on right now.'_

-

"Ben, are you ok?" Edwin called from outside the bathroom, knocking once again. His only response was the vomiting noise Ben had been seeping out since yesterday after eating at the gas station. They'd decided to stop and get food after hearing Gwen was safe and coming home, and apparently the food didn't agree with Ben.

But it shouldn't have lasted this long. He finally opened the door, walking in to fill a glass with water from the sink and pass it to Ben as he gargled it and spit it out.

"No more gas station chili dogs for you it seems." Edwin said as he sat on the sink top. Ben groaned then, waving his hand up to hush Edwin.

"Don't talk about food... I may never eat again." Ben slumped to the floor, swishing the water around in his mouth repeatedly before spiting it back in the toilet and flushing.

"I feel so sick." he whimpered out, looking up to lean himself against Edwin's legs.

"How about this, if you're still sick in the morning, I take you to the doctor. That sound ok?" Edwin asked, running his hand through Ben's hair with a smile. Ben looked up, giving his own smile as he looped one arm around Edwin's leg.

"I love you. You spoil me." Ben cooed, but Edwin just rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Without me I sometimes think you wouldn't survive as just plain old Ben Tennyson." Edwin said, tangling his fingers into Ben's hair as he leaned down, kissing his forehead.

Ben smiled, pulling Edwin down ever further. "Don't kiss me, you just threw up." it was the worst way to interrupt, one of Edwin's fingers on his lips.

"True." he went back to resting his head on his legs, looking at his watch. "I'll take another acid reliever and then get dressed. You still going with me to help pick up Gwen?" he asked the last words in a hopeful tone. His partner rolled his eyes, patting his head with a smile.

"I have to go to work sometime this week Ben." he said smoothly.

"But Eddie-"

"I'll need to go in tomorrow and then Saturday to make up for this." he smirked, flashing it at Ben before shrugging. Ben only grinned, but then stopped abruptly, hand on his stomach as he turned quickly to the toilet before he could make a witty reply to his boyfriends playful manner.

He really was never going to eat another gas station chili dog.

At least, not from that gas station.


	15. Chapter 15

When Gwen awoke she was alone in the bed again, and not long after she'd sat up she found clothes in her size and favorite style laying beside her. It didn't take much to take the hint so she changed quickly in case someone needed her. As she stood and rolled out of her sleep funk she headed toward the door, rubbing her arms of goose bumps.

She needed to find Kevin first off, try to convince him to stay on Earth and get a pardon. She knew he wasn't a bad person, he just made a lot of mistakes and he was someone she knew meant well... most of the time at least.

As the door opened though she was faced with an irate naga, bags under his eyes and animal ears drooping as he whimpered slightly. "Gwen. I need your help." the bark in his voice was belittled by the whine on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, careful not to raise her voice in slight worry over the new father.

"The baby won't stop crying, Gorg can't really get up and try and calm him down, Kevin's being an ass and wants me to navigate when I have a newborn to watch over, Gorg is upset because she wants Unta to hold the baby, I-"

"I get it, stress. Hinu no likey." Gwen held her hands up as she walked out of the room and listened to the growl from the man behind her as he slithered after her. "What do you want me to do?" she asked gently, trying to calm him down.

"I... I don't know..." Hinu stopped, slumping against a wall. "I haven't slept in almost three days, I'm running on empty and can't even hold my mate for five minutes before he starts bitching like a Narvac!" the growl started up again.

Gwen sighed, patting him on the shoulder awkwardly before letting herself think the information over. "Ok, so I've got no idea what a Narvac is-"

"A creature as tall as your ankle and annoying as Kevin." Hinu interrupted, causing Gwen to snort to hold her laughter in. The older of the two let out a smile, resting his head on the wall as he rubbed one arm. "I'm sorry, go on."

Gwen smiled, nodding at him. "Anyway, I think I'll go help Gorg out with the baby, visit Unta and try fixing some stress there, and you can go argue with Kevin." she smiled as the growl evaporated and Hinu shook his head to clear his aggravation.

"Thank you, Ms. You've no idea how much this means to me." he muttered, slithering off past her as he headed to the control room. Gwen smiled, crossing her arms as she headed in another direction to Gorg's room, wondering how long this day would last until they got to Earth.

The mechanical door slipped open as she approached, walking into the room with a smile. "Morning Gorg. How're you feeling?" she asked the new mother as the naga moved a cover over her to hide the fact she was breast feeding.

"Morning Ms. Gwen. I'm sorry I couldn't get up to make you breakfast this morning. Hinu was worried all over this one, and all _he_ wanted was breakfast." she smiled down into her arms. Gwen giggled a bit as she walked over, sitting on the bed beside the naga.

"Men right? Always over analyzing or over stressing things." she chuckled a bit, but Gorg only shook her head.

"Well not really dear. Hinu is always stressed, ever since... forever ago really. We'd been trying to have a baby for such a long time, when we found out there were complications he just broke down and cried. Don't tell him I told you though." Gorg gave a giggle and smiled, lifting the baby from her front and pulling her shirt down as she propped him to her shoulder and began patting his back.

"The secret is safe with me." Gwen said, moving her hands to zip over her mouth, "and I'm glad your maternal instincts tell you what to do. I'd have no idea how to take care of a baby." she smiled as she waved her fingers at the sleepy blue eyed infant. "I mean, all my friends say I'd be a great mother sure, but I just don't know sometimes."

Gorg smiled at the confession as the baby on her shoulder let out a gurgled burp, fussing as she moved him back into her arms. "I think you'd be a wonderful mother. You just get this feeling as soon as you hold them. 'That's my child, I'm his mother.'" Gorg cooed and let the infant cling to her finger as he gurgled.

"I dunno... I'm afraid to be a mother. I mean... what if I'm not good at it!" Gwen said, back to the headboard. Gorg laughed gently, smiling at the red head beside her.

"Hold out your arms." Gwen did so without question, only to protest as Gorg began sitting her infant in between them. "Now don't freak out. Babies are like wolves, they can smell your fear, and if you're afraid, they're afraid, and then they start crying. Mind his head." a few simple adjustments later and Gwen was staring down at the blond infant in her arms.

Itis squirmed a bit in the foreign arms until he finally found the perfect hold, relaxing as he looked up at the new woman he'd seen for the first time clearly. Gwen took in a sharp breath, finger stroking his cheek once as he gurgled again, a small smile across his face.

Both woman squealed in delight at his action,cooing over the child. "He's so precious!" Gwen nearly whispered, rocking the baby slowly in her arms.

"He's my little miracle with legs. The hardest part will be potty training. But I'm leaving that to Hinu." both women laughed again, softly admiring motherhood in its finest.

"You two really are the perfect couple. You even make adorable babies." Gwen commented, eyes still on the child as he yawned, arms stretching slowly.

"Thank you." Gorg blushed a bit, admiring her son as she relaxed in bed. "He looks like his daddy, really." she said, blushing a bit brighter. Gwen smiled, watching the baby fall asleep.

"Hey... Gorg. How did you know Hinu was the one?" Gwen blushed when she thought her words over, but Gorg only smiled.

"Oh, that's easy." she said gently, stretching her tail under the sheets.

"Really?" Gwen looked up, passing Itis back as he snuggled into his mother chest. Gorg nodded, watching her son.

"Yes. I remember, I had been beat up pretty badly by something, ultimately I'd won, but Hinu found me and nursed me back to health. After that he always threw a fit whenever I wanted to go outside. 'Don't do that, you'll just get hurt all over again!' He worried over that so much that one day I just got so upset I told him if he didn't leave me alone I'd push him off the balcony."

"And he left you alone then?" Gwen asked.

"Oh no, he kept on. I really did end up pushing him off the balcony. But when I got to the bottom I was so worried he'd gotten hurt, all I could think of was 'What have I done, I can't do this without him, please don't be hurt.' And from then on I just... I just knew." Gorg smiled softly to herself.

Gwen smiled back, looking at her hands as she folded them in her lap. "Sounds ironic..." it was all she could get out, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Her thoughts after hearing Gorg's words brought her back to her betrayal to Kevin, her idiocy toward her actions and how she did nothing but worry herself until she'd completely forgotten. She shivered at the thought, knowing something deeper was behind remembering those thoughts, but pushed it aside as she stood.

"Well Gorg, I say we head to Unta's room and I give this reverse mermaid trick another go, what about you?" and Gorg beamed, slowly rising onto her tail.

"It sounds delightful really. I need to get up and move around anyway. If not for you, Hinu would have me confined to that bed for weeks on end and I'd have forgotten how to slither." she distressed, cuddling her sleeping infant. Gwen smiled as she opened the door, following Gorg out of the room.

"I'm just trying to do all I can before I go home..." she admitted softly, shivering in the hall as she rubbed her arm and looked around. For once all the lights were on, the hall glowing with panels and the floor elegantly smoothed. By now Gwen had thought it was either a curtsy to the naga's or they'd simply smoothed it out with their tails after years of movement.

The bends and turns of the hallway were smoother and much easier to navigate in the light, but everything seemed almost tense in the air. Once inside Unta's room Gwen headed over to the tank, but first pulled a chair out and pointed to it as she looked at Gorg.

"As much as you're my friend, and I know you need to walk, I know nothing about Naga kind. Or... I used to, just don't remember." Gorg laughed, curling her tail around one of the legs of the chairs as she sat, lifting the baby as the mergirl pressed against the glass, cooing over her nephew.

Gwen smiled, standing at an angle beside the tank so Unta could still see her nephew. She sighed, relaxing on her feet as she ignored the noises around her, the tank filter, the ripple of snake coils, the baby talk and watery voice. She was ready to get this over with.

She shut it all out until it felt empty yet warm, like she was alone. She pulled her mana up to her closed eyes and hands, opening the bright pinkish glow as mana threads spread around the room. Gorg's were there, spiraling and thrashing against each other, several colors and tattered patterns in them.

Itis' thread, a mix of blue and gold but only one simple thread; and then she looked over to Unta. Everyone in the room was frozen under her spell it seemed, yet Unta's hair was still moving with the water current.

Her thread was hidden beneath layers of others, Gwen had thought so at least since all she could see were tangled mana knots. She pulled at one, slipping it out from the tangled group as it floated away, watching the webbing on Unta's hands and fingers seep back into her skin.

So this was how it worked?

She shivered, untangling more threads and watching each result, though one untangling nearly lead to Unta's hair color changing entirely, she quickly learned to hold the thread and then let go only after you see what it does. It felt like hours were spent yanking through tangles and pulling out wire like pieces of life.

Gwen soon began to feel afraid she wasn't doing the right thing when Unta's gills smoothed over and she was left with possible human lungs in a giant tank of water. Even though there was no sign of distress, she still couldn't help feeling like something was wrong.

After more string pulling she shivered, there was no longer a change in any of Unta's appearance and she felt she needed to stop. She slowly released her mana inwards again, blinking as Unta stopped her cooing and the world unfroze, opening her mouth to speak in a question before gasping and tossing her hand over her mouth.

"Crap!" Gwen threw a mana ring down into the water through the vent, pulling it off to pull the thrashing tail ridden girl up to the surface as she scraped at the top of the ceiling until Gwen could get enough air around Unta with her mana. Gorg stared, watching in silence as Unta clung to the top of tank, pushing at the glass to try and to get the latch at the ceiling to open.

"Hold on, you don't have legs yet!" Gorg squeaked, standing and slithering over as Gwen continued to hold the mergirl up.

"Legs! Legs why did I stop you need legs!" Gwen groaned, tossing her head back before Unta shrieked and she shook her head, keeping the girl above water.

"Can you fix her?" Gorg asked, reaching one hand up to her sister, the other keeping Itis clung to her.

"Hold on!" Unta squeaked, panting slightly as she looked up, unlatching the top and breaking it off, knocking it across the room. "Ok... Ok let me hold my nephew." she smiled, pushing her chest out through the opening and holding out her arms. Gorg sighed, a bright smile on her face as he held the baby up.

Unta nearly squealed in silent delight, cradling the newborn as he blinked up at her and cooed. "Oh Gorg. He's so beautiful." Unta cooed, her voice much more easier out of water.

The door flew open and Gwen jumped slightly, keeping Unta still as she turned to look at the intruder on the merriment. "Gwen, we're landing and Kevin is asking for you." it was all Hinu said at first, his eyes never leaving Gorg. "And why aren't you in bed?" he grumbled.

"Oh hush it Hinu, you can't keep them locked away forever. Besides, look at how cute he is! She had to show me." Unta said, her eyes never leaving the blond in her arms as she made faces to amuse him.

"Umm... can you tell Kevin to give me a minute?" Gwen asked gently, pointing to the fin still attached to Unta's lower half as it swished happily in the water. Hinu raised an eyebrow, sighing after a minute.

"Pass the baby back." he said, turning his gaze to Unta as he entered the room. She sighed sadly, nodding as she handed the baby back to Gorg with a wave of her fingers. Hinu slipped over to his mate then, arms around her as he smiled at his son.

"Ok, one more try." Gwen said with a smile.

"I thought you were going to lay off the chili products?" Edwin asked, sitting on the hood of the car as he sighed and watched Ben stuff his face with his fourth helping of chili fries that hour. Ben only chuckled though, walking over to sit beside Edwin as he pulled a napkin to his mouth and smiled.

"Well, I do kind of have to eat Eddie, and I'm starving so it's fine." he leaned over after wiping his mouth and stretched, kissing at Edwin's neck a few times.

"You'll regret it later." Edwin said gently, looking up at the sky with a drawn out sigh as he let the kisses move to his cheek.

"Will not, I'm starved right now." Edwin simply rolled his eyes, leaning against Ben as the ship above them maneuvered into sight, stirring up air again as it started to set down. The smaller ship behind it swerved mid-fall, landing a few feet away. The gush of air nearly blew away Ben's napkins as he sighed, snatching them up in agitation.

"This is why I don't like space ships landing in parks." Ben grumbled, watching as the ships aired themselves out. Edwin smiled, blushing as he scooted to the left and away from Ben, only to blush brighter as his boyfriend chuckled and pulled him close again.

"Ben don't, what about Gwen!" Edwin shivered a bit at the touch.

"Not until the door opens." Ben said with a smirk, but Edwin only rolled his eyes again and turned his face toward the space ship as the cargo hold dropped down and lowered to the grass.

Gwen stood there before the cargo hold, shooing people off before turning, soaking wet and glaring at a tall black haired male facing away from them as she screamed at him.

"Gwen!" Ben jumped to his feet quickly, running toward the hold as Edwin smiled and followed. Gwen looked up, holding up a finger as she turned, going back to her yelling. Ben smiled, running up the ramp and stopping dead as the black haired male turned with a twisted smirk.

"Ben!" Kevin chuckled out. Ben froze then, his eyes widening as Gwen raised an eyebrow before shrieking.

"Ben don't!" she screamed, running over to Kevin as she grabbed his shoulders, pulling him back as Ben reached for his watch and ran forward. A wall threw itself up between them though and Ben turned, glaring at the woman heading toward them.

"Hi Mrs. Verdona." Edwin said in a nervous wave, grabbing onto Ben's arm.

"Back off, you are not hurting my grand baby." Verdona said in a harsh tone, her hair trails whipping static into the air.

"Grandma for the last time I am NOT pregnant!" Gwen shrieked, only to have Kevin chuckle as Ben turned on him, slamming the watch down. An error noise went up and he looked back down in confusion.

"What did you do Kevin? Gwen get away from him!"

"Kiddo I know you're not pregnant." Verdona said, smiling as she strengthened the wall.

"Then... I am not having his babies in the future either! One time does not mean we're dating!" Gwen snapped, pushing Kevin in the shoulder.

"At least let us come out as a couple first." Kevin earned a hard slap to the back of his head as Edwin grabbed Ben by his arms even tighter. The brunette struggled though, trying to throw the other off with a snarl.

"What did you do to my cousin?" he shouted out.

"I said STOP!" Verdona whipped her hair trails where the shield once was, Edwin holding Ben in place and Gwen holding Kevin. "Ben you need to think before you leap! What are you going to do if the baby gets hurt?" she cooed the last bit.

"... What?" Edwin turned, going white at the look Verdona gave him.

"Ha ha grandma. Let me-wait baby. That's not funny." Ben said, narrowing his eyes. "Gwen would never-"

"Not Gwen, dear. You." Verdona said, hands on her hips. "You're the one that's pregnant." she cooed.


	16. Chapter 16

Ben sighed in agitation, stepping back from the fight he had first intended to start with Kevin and turned his gaze over to Verdona. "Grandma boys don't get pregnant! We lack the organs for that particular task!" he nearly huffed, crossing his arms with a sigh as one hand rubbed his temples and Edwin flushed brightly.

"Shows how much you know about your species doesn't it?" Verdona chuckled, her arms crossed as Kevin started laughing hysterical after the words sunk into the group.

"Tennyson's pregnant! Oh god this day can't _get_ any better can it!" he said through his fits of laughter. Ben began to advance in anger again, only to stop as Edwin grabbed his arm and whimpered. The shorter of the two pointed at the ramp, letting Ben watch as his cousin delivered a hard smack to the back of Kevin's head.

"Why do you always have to crack jokes? Can't you be serious for 10 minutes without blowing something up. Like for instance, say, a FISH TANK!" Gwen gestured at her dripping clothes once again, earning a grumble from the 19 year old as he glared off into the distance.

"Look I said I was sorry already-"

"Yea, sorry I fixed Unta just in time so she wasn't with fins when she fell in the floor, sorry Gorg left the room before your AMAZING driving smashed the tank so the baby couldn't get wet! Sorry I didn't strangle you because I'm just temperamental enough to do it and these clothes are sticky!" Gwen ranted on for a few minutes, a shadowed figure behind her snickering as Kevin looked away and clenched his fists.

"B-Ben..." Edwin quickly drew his attention, his knees giving out as he started shaking and trying to grasp at the hero's shoulders. Ben turning, holding Edwin up in a hug as the thoughts of shock and confusion swarmed his facial features. He closed his eyes, forehead to Ben's shoulder. "I'm not... the other parent..." he chocked out.

"Eddie I'm not pregnant to begin with. I'm male. I don't have the female organs to carry a child relax." Edwin continued to shake though, his head beginning to move. "Look, if I were ever to, by some... weird twist of fate, have more kids like I did with Big Chill, you'd be the parent. No one else. You know tha-"

"Do I know that?" Edwin quickly pushed Ben back, his eyes watering as everyone around went silent.

"Eddie-"

"I know how long it takes to develop a baby Benjamin, I took a class! I knew it had to be something more than food poisoning to just get right back up the next day! Morning sickness doesn't come until at least a week afterwords! We haven't been a couple long enough for that! You haven't always just liked me!" Edwin hugged his chest and rocked himself.

"Eddie I'm not-"

"You are, Ben."

"Be quiet grandma you're NOT helping!" Ben shouted, stomping down the ramp toward his boyfriend after pointing an agitated finger at his grandmother, who simply raised her hands in defeat. Edwin resisted his touch and tensed when Ben pulled his arms around him.

"Eww. I had no idea your cousin was a fag." Kevin whispered, "I thought he had a girlfriend... he had one the last time I was here at least." Gwen glared again at his words, stomping down the ramp herself.

"Gorg, will you guys come with me? Please? I need your sanity to get through the rest of this day in one piece." she stopped near her cousin, looking back at the shadow covered figures as they turned and started whispering to each other. Kevin ignored it though, keeping his eyes on Gwen and his feet to his spot.

She looked toward him, their eyes locking for a moment before Gwen pulled herself away and shivered with her own fears. "Gwen..." it was like he was whispering to her so she looked up again, swallowing the lump in her throat as they locked gazes.

Everything around them was silent for a moment and Gwen felt like she would fall through the ground and just keep falling if she broke that contact, but then everything was normal.

"Alright! Enough prattle for now. Your ship is under standard arrest-"

"What?" Kevin barked in unison with Hinu as he emerged from the shadows as they both started an advance on Verdona.

"And will be grounded for a few days under the local Plumber care. We'll have to move it out of the park, of course, but you get the general idea." Verdona cooed her sentence as she put her hands together and beamed, enjoying the situation at hand far to much. Ben seemed to have forgotten his reason for coming to the park at the moment and was far to focused on reassuring his boyfriend that he wasn't a 'Lying, cheating whore.'

Too much was going on.

Gwen sighed, running through ideas in her head as the groups started shouting. _'Ok, we have two naga, an infant, a fish... type girl, Kevin ruler of the ass holes, my cousin and his irate boyfriend, and my crazy hippie chic grandmother... what will shut them up long enough to let me think?'_ and then Gwen smiled, turning.

"Who's hungry?" she asked as she raised her voice over the shouts, heading off the ramp. "Because I'm going home and changing clothes and then I'm gonna make this huge lunch and then we can all talk this out WITHOUT violence and I can get a nap or something, so on so forth.." she smiled as she walked, her words sounded better in her head of course, but either way she was going home.

The silence behind her was almost sad, but she knew better than to turn around and face them with a pleading look. Her first warming noise was the familiar slithering, only now on grass.

Then light footsteps, followed by heavy, and a surge of mana as Verdona started moving ships upward and onward.

"Be careful of the paint!" Kevin shouted as the treetops snapped and swayed about. At least things hadn't changed too much... Sort of.

"Gwen, do you think it would be aright if I cooked?" Gorg asked softly as she finally caught up to her, Itis sleeping calmly in her arms. Gwen smiled, nodding.

"Well, as long as Hinu is ok with it, and that you don't overdo it. I don't want you hurting yourself you know?" they both smiled as Unta ran up, slightly wobbling on her feet.

"Can I help?" Unta said, rubbing her throat a bit with a smile as she held her arms out for her nephew. "I know I'm not the best cook, but if nothing else I could watch Itis while you cook!" she took the infant in her arms and cooed at the sight of his sleeping face.

"I'd love to have you in the kitchen with me Unta." Gorg smiled brightly, looking over at Gwen, "and I still can't thank you enough for this." Gwen shook her head, smiling at the thanks.

"Anything for a friend."

So Ben had finally gotten Edwin to calm down, but he was still refusing to talk to anyone as he distanced himself off in the corner of the living room and just avoided eye contact with Ben.

Kevin sat on the couch, cramped beside Hinu but still with the all mighty arrogance he oozed so naturally. His feet were propped up on a small coffee table, picking at the fabric on the couch as Hinu let his arms cross, ears flat as he grumbled in some foreign language.

Gorg was happily cooking one of the largest meals she'd ever cooked with the help of her sister and son as he squealed in delight at the quickly put together play pin he'd been laid in as Unta sprawled herself in the floor to play with him.

Gwen had locked herself inside the guest room with her grandmother while they talked about her mana fluctuations. Eyes closed, mana open, Gwen drifted off into a meditative state while things poured out from her infancy on up. Everything was being shoved out into the open and she was going to make sure it was all out so she didn't have to deal with it anymore.

And as Verdona guided her she sorted through it, ripped things out and dusted things off. Hours of this and that, a lifetime in that room. Her lifetime in that room.

A knock on the door made Gwen smiled as she closed her mana back into her body and stood. "Thanks grandma, it was fun." she said as she dusted off her clothes and went to open the door.

"Hey, kiddo!" Gwen turned to Verdona, looking at her human body as she smiled and crossed her arms. "You know, I may not be human, but I know enough about them to know that there's someone in the living room you need to talk to." with an arrogant smile she opened the door with a flick of her wrist, the mana pulling it open.

Gorg looked in, smiling at the two. "The food is finally ready," she said happily as he pulled the door open fully and beamed as she turned her arms toward the kitchen, "anyone want to help me carry it out to the dining room?" Verdona perked up, happily accepting the challenge as he headed out of the room with the naga.

Gwen smiled, letting out a relaxed sigh as she headed down the hallway, peeking into the living room.

Max had shown up and was talking tentatively with Ben, probably trying to figure out why Edwin had been glaring daggers at him. Edwin himself had taken up to sitting on the coffee table and pouring his emotions out to Hinu, who surprisingly seemed genuinely concerned as he bent over to pat his back and give him tissues.

Of course every now and then Gwen caught a glimpse of Kevin throwing in his own opinion, chuckles or wrist flicks tossed about until the air in the room flushed and relaxed.

The food was brought out and Gwen stayed in her spot, watching as Ben walked over to Edwin, a lot of crying happened and Edwin wasn't the one doing it. Yet they obviously made up, and after that there was a giant wave of couple cuddling that slipped through the room as Gwen sighed again, turning to lean against the wall.

Things worked out great if you just etched at them bit by bit, only one last glance and she caught Kevin's eye, he was smiling at her. She blushed, shaking off the nervous feeling.

_'I can do this. I can get through one evening with the guy I... oh hell I know I care about him.'_ she smirked as she walked into the room, everything would work out just fine.


	17. Phase10 01

The room was full of people, people she knew and thought might be a good time to question trust on. The real question on her mind though was obvious, but she knew she needed to stall right now, any stalling would help her. Of course ihow/i she was supposed to stall when she was the one with all eyes on her made her grit her teeth in frustration, so she quickly opted to chewing on the insides of her cheeks as she thought over her options.

"Well, Gwenafer? What's it going to be?" Kevin asked her with a smirk, he was still snide and sickly sweet like he'd known every thought that was going on through her head.

"Gwendolyn." she corrected, taking her sweet time as the others in the room shifted their weight impatiently.

"Oh come on Gwen, this getting ridiculous!" Ben nearly shouted, irritated more than ever as he groaned and started leaning over to Edwin as the other boy rolled his eyes.

"Please decide, Gwen, Ben is driving me iinsane./i" Edwin smiled, patting the brunettes head and letting his fingers tangle in his lovers hair.

"Woof woof, don't treat me like a dog Eddy." Ben rolled his shoulder, smiling up at Edwin as they smirked in a knowing way.

"Oh just roll the damn dice Gwen, you have 6 of them in your hand and 7 roll outs already!" Hinu growled as he leaned over, then shot back as his arms crossed against his chest. "Never should have taught them how to play this game," he mumbled darkly.

"Oh hush Hinu, here, hold Itis, he's fussy, I need a break," Gorg held out the infant and placed him in her suddenly overly nervous husbands arms.

"Gorg! No I'll drop him he's too small!" Gwen couldn't help but laugh happily, the tension easing already as Kevin rolled his eyes as Itis started screaming.

"Dear god, pass him over." Kevin quickly picked up the infant and shoved them face to face, the baby sniffling as he stared back, wide eyed. "Shut up you little runt."

"Kevin!" Gwen nearly threw the dice at his head, but Itis started flailing and laughing hysterically at the words.

"What? He likes me, and I don't I ihate/i babies all to much. If you show them your fear they freak out because they start thinking something is wrong," Kevin quickly offered up a finger as Itis pulled it into his mouth, gumming at it, "ewww infant droool!"

Gwen rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she tossed the dice in her hands and then rolled them into the box on the table. Hinu watched, admiring how easy his son was to entertain.

"Ok, three ones, a five, a four and a two. I'll keep it, your turn Gorg," the naga woman smiled back, writing the score down on a paper before taking the dice from her hand. Edwin smiled up at them from his spot, looking over toward Itis for the millionth time that night.

Gorg looked up at the feel of the gaze and started smiling even brighter before dropping the dice. "Edwin, would you like to hold him dear? You've been watching him since you got here." she said gently, leaving the one on the board before rolling the other five dice again. Edwin flushed, hands up in an almost defensive position.

"I couldn't, I-" but Kevin was already holding the baby out arms length toward him, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously, am I the ionly/i guy who can deal with kids after being in ispace/i and the inull void/i most of my life? You guys need to check your bal-" Gwen glared at him as Edwin squeaked and quickly scooped up the baby, minding his head with one hand, "don't give me that look. They're freaking out over a two week old."

"Kevin you cried when we found your car totaled when we were 15, don't talk about who the real man is." Ben finally spoke up, setting his gaze toward his boyfriend and the baby in his arms.

"I don't need the pregnant one telling me-"

"I'm not pregnant Ke-"

"Shut. Up." Edwin glared them both down when Itis started getting fussy, finally relaxing when everyone had quieted and Gorg passed the dice to Hinu. "He's so cute." Edwin continued to coo over the baby even as he slept on his arms, Ben smiling as he watched.

The game continued, uneventful again as everyone hushed for the sleeping infant, and as the scores were added together Gwen slipped out, heading to the roof to lay back with a sigh. She was staring at the stars as the wind picked up her hair and let it flutter around her neck, relaxing as her gaze watched the twinkling pieces of life.

The quiet chirping of crickets and an owl off in the distance calmed her down, her eyes fluttering closed as she relaxed in quiet peace. The wind continued to splash over her and her mind crawled toward the back as it recalled little bits of information, piece by piece.

"You would go up on the roof, some of us can't fly you know," Gwen smiled, reeling from her thoughts as she opened her eyes to the person beside her. "Evenin'," Kevin smirked, sitting with his knees out.

"Hi Kevin." she said, looking up at him before turning away to stare at the stars.

"I noticed you slipped out of the party?" he smirked.

"I noticed you were gone all of yesterday and your hands are blister burned. Your control slip or did you just have a normal relapse in judgment?" she smirked as she leaned back and Kevin gave a laugh.

"So cynical today aren't you?" he laid back, arm out in offering and Gwen looked over then around before sighing and laying next to him, letting his arm wrap around her.

"It's ok, I'm having mood swings." she said with a smile, relaxed against him.

"Oh? Should I be afraid?" he asked, relaxed now as the tension between them melted. It was the little moments like this, the no fighting, no real motive, thing like these and she was 15 all over again.

"Yes, very afraid," she listened to him chuckle, then sighed as she turned her head on his chest, "tomorrow my grandma wants to do a kind of wide video ultra sound on Ben, you know, to prove he's pregnant." she chuckled herself, looking up at him, "will you be there for it?"

Kevin thought for a while, blinking up at the space around them before nodding. "Yea, I'll have to take a few potions here and there of course but I wouldn't miss the look on Tennyson's face when he finds out he's knocked up for the world," and Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Why do you relish in torching him, Kevin? You two used to get along you know." she said, moving back to her snuggled position.

"Well, he idid/i make my life a living hell on more than one occasion." he counter.

"So did I." she countered back, smiling at him before tensing a bit.

"Yes, but iyou/i made it up to me when we-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll never see the light of day again." she chirped and Kevin laughed while rubbing her back with a smile afterwords.

"Glad to see you'll never change." he said as he closed his eyes, sighing gently.

"Neither will you," she remarked back with a laugh, relaxing again and closing her eyes, "we're going to have a long day ahead of us." she muttered, sighing out gently.

--

"Ok, lay backwards Ben, look up and don't imove./i" Verdona cooed out as she let her grandson lay on the stiff crinkled paper covered table, arms behind his head as he rolled his eyes.

"Grandma I'm n-"

"Shut up Ben, I want to see the baby..." Edwin whispered, relaxing in his chair as Verdona drew out lines with her fingers over Ben's stomach.

"There is nothing-"

"Oh hush darlings. Let mummy do her work." Verdona chimed, hovering a bit as she worked on smoothing the line out in mid-air, eyes glowing that eerie color of mana from the human sockets. Her body threatened to shed to her mana form, but the skin clung thick by request of Edwin, being around Ben was enough of an oddity as it was.

"Now, you'll feel a light pinch." Kevin chuckled from the chair he'd pulled up just then, Gwen swatting the back of his head as she narrowed her eyes on him.

"Shut up." she whispered harshly, then heard Ben gasp, watching his eyes shut as his knuckles bled white when he gripped the edge of the table.

"Ben!" Edwin shot up from his chair, ready to rush over, but Verdona shooed him.

"It's alright, I told him it would pinch." she smirked, her presently gray hair twining in curls around the mana she let pour from her as she worked.

"Please just hurry up!" Ben whined, gripping the tables edge tighter.

"Remind me never to get knocked up." Kevin said at a passing glance toward the scene.

"Kevin another word from you and I'm having grandma Verdona tape your mouth shut with cement glue." Gwen grumbled, walking over to the screen the older Anodite had lifted right side up.

"Now, let me just refocus that... Eddy sweety, you stand right in front so you're the first to see." Verdona moved around as Edwin hurried and stood beside Gwen as they watched the screen move. A silence twisted, then Verdona smiled and a slow look of shock rose on Edwin's face.

Kevin hurried over, standing behind Gwen before covering his mouth.

"What?! Come on you gu-" Verdona cut her grandson off, flipping the screen toward him.

"Congratulations sweety, you're having twins." she purred in an almost vindictive voice. Ben blinked, staring at the screen as he sat up. Two human fetus shapes were nestled asleep inside his body, their fingers twitching as they dreamed. Ben paled, rubbing his eyes.

"Babies don't grow that fast!" he tried arguing, but the look on his face said it all.

"Alien babies do though, sugar." Verdona snipped back.

"I'm not an Alien! I mean I can turn into them but-"

"Oh god..." Edwin held back a shrieked, scuttling backwards until his back met Gwen's chest. "Beny-She gave me this-And Now Ben is-Oh god Igotmyboyfriendpregnant!" he rambled out, turning a worried and frazzled look to his friend.

"Eddy!" Gwen groaned, shoving the dark haired spaz forward before turning and walking out, rubbing her temples. Voices bounced and echoed dully around before she exited the building, heading out into the forest.

Foot falls of heavy boots followed her and she knew Kevin was behind her, ready to listen if only just to taunt her. She rubbed her eyes next, the damp air curling around her as she stopped and looked up at the tree in front of her. A few feet off she knew she would find the lake, and at the lake, right where this tree' line was, there stood another with carved names of both her grandparents.

She frowned again, reaching up to place her hand on the trees trunk as she closed her eyes. She had so many memories of these places, this was her home and she knew that, but something was missing.

Then Kevin placed his hand on top of hers, looking down with a smile as he pulled her hand away from the rough bark. His skin was tinged pink from the cold, actual flesh and bone if only until he relapsed in a power surge. She could feel the blood flow beneath his skin, pump through his veins and swish into his heart.

"You wanna climb up?" he asked, nodding upward into the branches. She followed his gaze, blinking a few times before giving a nod and feeling a free arm wrap around her waist to hoist her up.

Tangling her fingers in Kevin's she stopped his movements only momentarily before he lifted her higher, a branch now in her reach as she abandoned his grasp to start her climb.

Moments later when they were both out on the limbs, Kevin leaning against the trunk of the tree, Gwen sighing and rolling a few leaves around in her fingers.

"What's wrong?" he asked, whether he actually cared or not she had no idea. With a sniffle from the chill she turned to him, giving up on the crisp air to crawl toward him and sit next to him for the heat, an arm wrapped around her.

"My cousin is having babies. No, better yet, my male cousin is having babies. Before me. And I actually have the proper organs for it. And the only reason he's even having babies is because his boyfriend took something from a stranger and ended up knocking him up." she sighed, leaning her head to one of his shoulders. "I know you're loving how messed up this is, but it just gives me a migraine you know?"

Kevin laughed, rubbing the skin exposed on her arm with a smile. "You know what cures head aches though, don't you?" he asked, looking up into the stars between the leaves.

"Sleep and dark rooms with no noise?" she asked, all too ready to curl up in her own dark room and sleep the day... better yet the year away really.

"That too, but also orga-"

"Kevin, shut up. I am not in the mood for jokes right now!" she hit at his arm, closing her eyes as he laughed and went back to comforting her arm with gentle finger strokes against the exposed skin. The hum and chirp of crickets washed over the symphony of the night, soft light from fireflies dancing across the lake glowing in the distance as the night crept forward.

Gwen sighed again, listening to the heartbeat a hands breath away from her, the feeling that the one she loved when she was younger was alive, that everything was alright was a fleeting thing.

The noise of the two teen boys getting out of the building in slow shuffles and climbing into a car, the sound of cars door slamming, then quiet as Gwen guessed the two were talking in the car went off in the distance.

Ben Tennyson, intergalactic hero, subdued by his boyfriend and knocked up with twins.

She couldn't keep in her laughter from spewing out then in a sudden realization, rocking forward a bit as Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" he asked, keeping her steady as she continued laughing.

"Ben... Ben's pregnant!"

--

"You can just drop me off here, Kevin." Gwen said, smiling as she wiped her eyes from mirthful tears and rubbed at her cheek, unbuckling her seat belt and pulling it off.

"You sure, I can walk you up to your place, maybe make you dinner, set something fire on the process and end up ordering take out." Gwen laughed again at Kevin's serious expression, smiling once she could stop as she lifted her bag up.

"Afraid I'll have to take a rain check on that." she chimed, opening the door and stepping out. Kevin watched her in surprise, quickly following her out of the car as he took a few steps toward the building. He drew back almost mechanically, holding his stomach with a wince before looking away, hoping Gwen hadn't seen.

But he was only half lucky, Gwen only caught the end of the action as she walked around the car and stopped on the sidewalk. Her mind mulled over her next moves and eventually she sighed.

"... Kevin, you don't really have a place to stay yet, right?" she asked him, shifting in the chill. He looked up at her, brushing hair from his face as he shrugged and masked the pain, his skin still rippling as it tried morphing.

"I can go crash at my old pl-"

"Oh good, since you don't have a place to stay, you can crash on my couch. Just don't actually set anything on fire, I'm still paying stuff off." she turned, ready to drop the conversation before a hand caught her wrist and turned her.

Kevin pulled her close, brushing their noses together before he closed his eyes and leaned in for a soft kiss. Gwen let her face flush, and once he had pulled away she shook her head and turned quickly with a stammer.

"Geez Kevin, you act like this is a big deal or something!" she muttered, hurrying up the steps as he laughed and followed.


	18. Phase10 02

When Gwen woke up she was oddly comfortable, something she hadn't been in a very long time if she remembered correctly and the pillow she clung to was still cool under her cheek. The light in her bedroom was off of course, though the ceiling fan still hummed away and the faint glow from the window currents washed along the floor. Light brightened and dimmed every few minutes with the passing clouds and curtains ruffling. When Gwen slowly sat up amidst her blanket and night shirt she realized she was alone in the room.

Not that she hadn't been when she went to bed of course, Kevin had been forced to take occupancy on the couch, and when she had finally passed out she was alone.

But the thought of Kevin still being in her apartment, just knowing he was there... well it brought an embarrassed smile to her face as she stretched and tossed her legs over the side of the bed to stand. Her muscles were stiff and she knew it required a jog around the block, but for now her body had to settle for getting dressed and making breakfast.

_'Oh geez when was the last time I actually made anything other than cereal for one?' _she thought to herself as she opened her closet and shifted through the clothes. She finally decided on a simple pair of blue jeans and a red business shirt with a covering black vest, it was something she hadn't worn in a long time and something she knew would be nostalgic and easy to move in compared to everything else she'd been stuck in lately.

After dressing she picked up her brush and ran it through her hair a few times, looking at the length as she ran her fingers through it. She'd seen her hair in so many forms throughout her life, short, shoulder length, long, long and in a ponytail. By now she didn't really know what she wanted to do with it anymore.

Every time she turned around some new version of herself was popping in from some time space rift with a different hair style, it was a little bothersome.

Tossing her hair up into a low pony tail she sighed, ready to get the day over with as she pushed open her bedroom door. The smell of bacon and eggs hit her right off the bat and she bit her lip, smiling.

"Kevin?" she called out into the room, listening to the low rumble of her once boy-friend cooking and huming. Weird thing though... Kevin wasn't big on cooking unless he had to... wait, what time was it?

--

"Ok, arms up." Gorg motioned with both her own arms at the crib, holding them toward the ceiling as the now toddler sized infant reached up as well to mimic his mother with flailed laughter. "That's my good boy." the laughter filled the room once again, Edwin smiling as he watched the mother change her sons clothing.

"He grew up too fast Gorg... he was only infant sized what... 2 hours ago?" he smiled, leaning back against the chair again.

"Oh it's only temporary Eddy, you know that. Hinu was too scared the bathe him being so small, he freaked out." she laughed a bit, tossing the clothes away into a hamper. "Now, you had something to talk to me about?" she asked, lifting Itis up into her arms as he flailed about, reaching for anything in arms length of him.

Edwin frowned a bit, looking over at his shoes by the doorway. "Yea... I know it's what happened... I really do... but..." he sighed, letting his face fall into his fingers. "I just want to know." suddenly he felt tiny fingers pulling at his hair, urging him to look up before his face was engulfed in a hug by the infant.

"Well, whatever it is, seems Itis wants you to stop pouting about it." she passed the child along with a laugh, happy that her son got along with her new friend.

"I'm sorry Itis." Edwin took the now toddler sized infant into his arms happily, blowing a few kisses onto the babies stomach before laying him back into his crib as he yawned, small hands outstretched and clinging to his dragon shaped stuffed animal. As Gorg had said when having him buy it, 'When in Rome, or in this case Earth, might as well get him a stuffed animal right?'

Gorg smiled, sitting in the beanbag that was placed in the room for her finally as her tail stretched and flopped out, sighing as she relaxed and picked up her up of... lord knows what and reclined. "Now, talk to me dear." she said.

Edwin nodded, sitting back in the chair he now turned toward his friend, sighing and scrubbing his face with his palms. "Is there... any type of herb or something... I dunno, some space plant that can get two dudes shknockered and one of them knocked up and not remember any of it?" he asked as he bit his lip. "Geez that sounds stupid..."

Gorg laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I personally don't know of any names to call it other than silly... the explanation I mean, but I know it's more than possible. On Ter'abith, the women were refusing to mate with the men dude to sexist wars, they decided to make a way to reproduce so they created a fertility pill for men. One of the side effects could have been memory loss so the straight ones didn't have to-"

The naga was cut off as her friend groaned, slumping from his chair to the floor, his head banging to the wooden planks. "Fuck!"

--

"Nice apron dear house wife." Gwen said as he held in a laugh, a short spit of a mirth slipping through. Kevin looked back, glaring at the red head in the doorway.

"Shut up." he grumbled, flipping the eggs in the pan as he adjusted the pink frill once again, "It was in your hall closet, I thought it made me look nice." Gwen couldn't keep in her laughter again, her steps stumbling her forward and into the table.

"Oh god, Kevin take that stupid thing off." she rolled her eyes after catching her breath as she pulled out a chair. Kevin shook his head, turning and setting a plate on the table.

"No way, it's keeping my clothes from getting covered in grease." he said in a girly voice. "All you have is water, I was gonna make orange juice but I thought you'd flip if I got the oranges out of the fridge and just used them without asking." more plates were sat in front of her as he sighed, pulling the pink frill over his head.

"Seriously, where did you get this? It's more than a little bit ugly." he dropped it to the floor, leaning against the kitchen counter as he turned off the stove and stabbed his food with his fork.

Gwen smiled, leaning back into the chair as she picked up her fork and wiped it off. "Moving out gift from a friend. Never saw a reason to get rid of it." she said, poking at the food.

"Hello, it's ugly. Just throw it away." Kevin said after swallowing a mouthful of food. Gwen stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't remember taking orders from you, Kevin. In fact, you're lucky I'm even letting you stay here." She reminded him, back to cutting up pieces of her food.

"Have you ever worn it? Really?" Kevin asked, scooping up a few pieces of hanging food into his fingers before dropping them into his mouth. Gwen started to reply but stopped, she really hadn't ever worn the thing... or had any intention of wearing it. Weird... why i_hadn't/i_ she thrown it away?

"See my point? Half of this stuff I don't think you even use Gwen, what happened to you?" he waved his hand around her kitchen and she paused, looking over at the little things. To her, the house was barren and had the bare minimum. But now that she really looked at it...

"I mean, what i_IS_/i this thing?" Kevin picked something up, waving it about.

"Egg beater. And before you go there, you use it for baking." Gwen said, looking at the table as she ate.

"You don't bake!" Kevin said, arms tossed up.

"How would you know? We haven't seen each other in-"

"Gwen I was in your fridge. You don't bake." Kevin cut her off twice. "You, are cluttering." She scoffed at him and stood to get a glass out of the cabinet. "You know I'm right." he said, setting the egg beater down onto the counter.

"You're assuming." She stood on her toes, pulling the cup out of the cabinet and gasping as Kevin boxed her against the counter.

"You're cluttering." he repeated, lifting a hand to brush against her cheek. Gwen blushed, looking away as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Is it because you missed me?" Gwen snapped her head back toward him, slapping him hard across the face and moving him out of her way.

"You're restricted to the garage." she barked, pointing with a glare. He rubbed the red mark on his face, smirking as his skin rippled and he snatched up his jacket from the back of a chair and plate off the counter, heading out toward the hall.

"Yea I love you too." Gwen glared as he walked out, blowing a kiss in her direction as he left. She grumbled and hit the tap, trying to pour her anger out with the water. Once the glass was full she started drinking, setting it down to catch her breath after swirling the contents. She took a few steps forward, ready to clean the mess from Kevin cooking when her foot squished against the fabric of the apron on the ground.

She looked down, pulling her foot back as she picked it up, running her fingers over the fabric as she brushed it off. She didn't mean to come off like such a prude just now... had she? With a sigh of agitation she headed toward the hall, ready to hang the apron back up.

"Throw it away!" Kevin called from the end of the hall, looking at her in the doorway. She made a face, looking at him with a huff before turning her back to him, facing the closet. One hand reached to the door and she paused.

i_'Oh... wow...'/_i she opened her closet and gasped once she really noticed, coats she never wore, shoes she used maybe once, nick knacks?

"Told you that you were cluttering." Kevin was behind her, arms venturing around her waist as he hugged her close, skin relaxing into a new form. "Come on, let's get rid of it." he said, soft and so unlike the Kevin she knew.

"What if I don't want to?" she breathed, already letting Kevin tug it from her fingers.

"I'll take it by force." he stated, crumpling the apron in one hand. She huffed, turning around to look up at him, a soft smile that went between both of them before she started laughing.

"Oh geez, I'm cluttering." she couldn't stop the bits of laughter, falling against his chest with a smile.

"I know, it's so weird isn't it? First it was me, now you? What next, Ben?" Gwen busted out into a laughter that brought tears to her eyes and just wouldn't stop. Kevin hushed her, both just standing in the hallway as she calmed down.

"When I have to go... I won't want to." he muttered against her hair, sighing a bit to himself. Gwen relaxed, hugging him finally and smiling.

"I don't think I'll want you to either..." she muttered.


	19. Phase10 03

"Do you mean that?" of course if you go from one serious moment to another sometimes confusion sets in. Gwen gaped up at the dark eyes burrowing into her own, real questioning, real doubt, real fear. She swallowed the dry air in her throat and smiled.

It surprisingly wasn't as hard to smile at him as she thought it might have been. "Kevin, shut up." she reached up, patting the side of his face as he held her at arms length, wiping her eyes and cheeks clean afterwards.

"Anyway why do you care, I've banished you to the garage already, get going." she slid his arms off her own and shrugged him away, turning back toward the kitchen.

"No! Gwen we're talking about this!" Kevin's hand caught her wrist as she took a few steps, the action halting her movement into the next room. His skin was warm, not the average kind either.

His flesh was turning and he was too angry to notice just yet, with a hiss she slapped his hand away, bringing her almost singed wrist to her chest.

"There isn't anything to talk about." she stomped passed him, making her way toward the freezer as she grabbed a rag off one of the bars near the sink.

"Yes there damn well is Gwen! Why do you keep doing that?!" Kevin barked, making his way into the room after Gwen had yanked the freezer open.

"Doing what Kevin? Really, enlighten me to your all powerful-"

He cut her off by slamming his fist into the wall beside the freezer; luckily nothing broke as he pulled back and seethed. "Ignoring me, pretending I don't exist, that I_we/I _don't exist!" he huffed, his words full of anger.

Gwen scoffed, filling her rag with ice before she wrapped it around her wrist. "Maybe because I_we/I_ don't exist Kevin, maybe because there isn't a I_we/I_." she turned toward him quickly, slamming the freezer door shut. "And maybe because I'm starting to get pissed off that you keep on saying we're a couple!" her voice was near screaming.

"Oh don't I_even/I _give me I_that/I, _Gwen. You and I both know-" this time it was Kevin who was cut off, only by shouting.

"I know what!? What is it I'm supposed to fucking know!" she screamed, ready to throw him out by his hair. The look he gave her made it worse, it was a sneer that only he could pull off. A sneer that made her feel rage down to the tips of her toes and blush all in one.

"That you still love me, and no one else will ever I_be/I_ me." Gwen scoffed and felt her 'master control' break, the first thing she threw was the ice pack on her wrist.

The next a glass, then the spatula, then the frying pan, and of course one can never forget the chair. By the time she had stopped screaming profanities and reached for the second chair Kevin had pulled himself out of the safety of the hallway and back into the kitchen.

Gwen's hand latched onto the back of the second chair, ready to start the war all over again with an even longer list of curses.

Only she didn't get to, her progress in breaking everything she could lift by chucking it at Kevin, and rage, had been snubbed.

You see, by the time she'd moved her weight to lift the chair, Kevin had crossed the room and pulled her to his chest, one arm wrapped about her waist tightly whilst the other hand tilted her head up toward him.

Now they were kissing.

To put it simply, every nerve in Gwen's body shut down, every pent up piece of rage out and ready to be scooped off in the leaves outside. Before she even knew it she was even kissing him back, almost in a hungry way as well as her fingers gripped his shoulders.

Breaking for air Gwen left her eyes closed, feeling Kevin's forehead drop to hers, their noses brushing gently as she panted and swallowed. She let out a shuddered breath, her hands gripping his skin tighter.

"I hate you." she whispered, the words hoarse and wobbling in her throat.

"You always were a bad liar, Gwen… just say it." Kevin's voice was soothing, perfect as always. He was an arrogant, cocky bastard and he needed to be slapped silly for all she cared.

"Fine you jerk…" she heard a whisper of her own voice, her arms coming up and around to hug Kevin closer. "I…" her words went unfinished, and the pause drew out.

At least it drew out until Gwen let out a shrill squeak, her legs and torso being tossed across Kevin's arms as he hoisted her into the air.

"Kevin put me down!" she shrieked louder, smacking her hand across the back of his head in another burst of anger.

"Oh no I_way/I _Ms. Prissy. We're going to the bedroom." Gwen felt her entire body flush, then she was realized all too late that she was shouting again.

"I am NOT having sex with you, damn it Kevin!" her voice was going to go out at this rate.

"I know that, but at least in there you don't have anymore objects to kill me with that are as dangerous as table chairs. The kitchen is the most dangerous place in a house… next to the bathroom." she sighed, letting him ramble while she crossed her arms.

"Kevin at least let me walk." she tried, forgoing any other attempts to yell at him.

"Why, so you can banish me to the garage again? Oh no, I don't think so." with a slight bounce Gwen cursed again, smacking Kevin harder in the arm.

"Stop being an ass hole." she muttered as the door closed.

"Not on your life."

--

"Ben?" the balcony door opened just a crack, a hand resting on the knob while the other stayed on the edge of the wooden door. "Can I come out there?" his voice was shaky, it obviously wasn't easy to deal with this. A slight grumble was heard from a corner, and after that the creak of a chair tilting backwards.

"Yea fine…" he really didn't sound happy. Edwin peeked his head out onto the veranda space and saw Ben gazing out at the sunset, his arms crossed as he grumbled again and glared at the sky. Eddy bit his lower lip hesitantly, shuffling into the space gently and closing the door behind him.

"Ben… we… really need to talk." the other boy never turned his gaze; he simply pointed at another chair on the deck and redirected his finger to a spot next to him.

"I know." it was all he said, his eyes never leaving the sky. Eddy shivered, letting out a steadying breath before he moved the chair as instructed and sat next to Ben.

"Out with it." the hero said, finally looking away from the sky, but down at his shoes instead of at the other boy. There was anger on his face though, anger so deep even he couldn't help but fear it.

"You already know… don't you…" Edwin breathed, shivering a bit from the chill outside as he looked down to his own legs.

"No." it was blunt and sharp.

"Ben, I think we should-"

"I said NO!" movement hit the terrace and Ben was standing, shoving his chair back with the force of the impact. "Don't even FINISH that thought!" he screamed.

"But the readers don't like us!" (For those of you who actually read the Bewin parts I'm sorry, I had to slip it in, this entire line is a joke because I get so many none slashers up in my slash.)

"Ben it's not good for us to be fighting this early in a relationship over something that should even be possible! You know that!" Edwin was standing as well now, his voice watering with the stretch of his words.

"I'm not leaving you Eddy, you or whatever this is! Fuck that! So what if I'm pregnant! I'll… I'll figure it out, I_WE'LL_/I figure it out. These are OUR kids, ok? Don't you dare go on about wanting to bail out on me when I know you want this as much as I do!"

Ben stopped, stepping forward as he shook his head and took both of Edwin's hands. "I can't do this without you Eddy. I just can't." if anyone would have looked in they would see the tears threatening to break behind Ben's eyes.

Edwin nearly choked on his own air as he was pulled close to Ben, a hand being force under his shirt to press into his belly as his own tears fell.

"This… these are I_our/I _responsibility, ok? Don't leave me I_or/I _them…" Ben stopped, leaning down nearly half an inch to kiss the top of Edwin's forehead. "I love you." he was being clung to, tears and all as he hushed his lover.

"Why don't we go see Gwen tomorrow, she always has advice on how to fix stuff like this, ok?" Ben asked, and he felt Edwin nod as he steered them both back toward the balcony door.

"Good, let's get inside before we freeze." he muttered, glad his 'negotiation skills' weren't I_too_/I rusty just yet.

--

Early morning, the alarm isn't going off yet but an annoying banging noise is what woke Gwen up. She grumbled, rolling over in the sheets to catch a blurry glimpse of nothing.

That worried her.

Not that she couldn't see, because she could after rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. But something was in fact missing, something that wasn't even there the night before.

"Kevin."

She'd let him drag her into her room, they laid in bed, watched movies, and she'd fallen asleep next to him. Sitting up and looking around to still not find him worried her even more.

But then when she heard the banging noise again she was almost fearful. Shirt untucked and hair probably frizzed every which way she threw her legs over the bed and kicked the covers off.

Oh. Joy.

She wasn't wearing pants, but didn't realize that until she ran into the hallway just in time to have Kevin let in not only her cousin, but her cousin's baby daddy.

A quick shriek and dash later she realized why Kevin had went to get the door. He was dressed, she was only half dressed. Even though you couldn't tell because of the length of her shirt, her underwear were still mismatching with her clothes.

Great way to start the day.

She couldn't help but curse as she changed, catching bits and pieces of the moving conversation as Kevin lead Ben and Edwin into her living room.

"I told you to wait."

"What the hell did you do to my cousin?"

"Wonder if those come in my size…"

She really didn't want to know where that last one fit in. Once finally dressed she threw her hair up and relaxed, ready to face her guests, slightly undignified moment behind her.

Leaving her room and heading into the living room she noticed that once again, Kevin wasn't there.

"Gwen! Morning, I didn't know Kevin could make tea, he said he would make us some." Edwin said as she looked up from fiddling with one of the gaudy tassels on her coffee table cover… yea she really needed to get rid of that too.

"I didn't even know Kevin knew what tea was." Ben muttered in a bitter tone, only to wince as Edwin smacked his arm and mouthed 'Be nice.'

"You learn something new every day." she sat herself down on one of the more unused chairs, wondering if she even I_had_/I any tea left in her kitchen.

"Besides that, did he hurt you?" Ben flinched as Edwin smacked him harder.

"Ben it isn't any of our business, stop that!" their bickering was priceless, it brought a well needed smile.

"Relax, both of you. Everything is fine." it was amazing how much that didn't sound like a lie. "Why did you two come over? Something wrong?" she asked, leaning back as she crossed her arms.

Ben sighed, relaxing back against the couch as Edwin rubbed his arm gently and flashed him a reassuring smile. "We need your advice." Ben finally breathed, placing a hand over Edwin's.

Gwen sat up a bit more, leaning over as she crossed her arms and nodded. "Spill. I'm here for you." she said, shifting her weight as she heard Kevin walk into the room. She turned her head, watching as Kevin balanced a tray with four cups on it and move like he'd been a waiter at a five star restaurant.

"Hey, when did you learn how to make tea?" she asked him quietly, tilting her head as he sat on another chair near her and set the tray on the coffee table, passing out the cups.

"I can read instructions, thank you very much." Kevin grumbled as he handed her a cup, sitting back with his own and blowing the steam away from his face.

"Yea well besides that." he pointed back and Edwin, smirking only wider than normal, "don't these two have something to talk to you about?" Gwen sighed as she shook her head, a strand of her hair falling out of place and upward from her exhaled breath.

"Right, back to you." she turned her attention once again to her cousin and her friend. Edwin sighed, fingers looped around the cup as he gazed into it, the silence dragging on before Ben finally gripped his shoulder.

"We need to talk about our options with this." Ben finally said, his voice a little hollow. "It's driving both of us insane, everything that's going on it's… and with the fact I'm pregnant-"

"Again." Kevin chimed in, hushing as Gwen shot him a quick glare.

"We just need ideas." Ben finished, rubbing his thumb along Edwin's shoulder. This made her sigh again, but in an overall good way.

"That's it, you two just wanted advice about the babies?" she asked, relieved for unknown reasons. Ben nodded, smiling as Edwin did the same.

"Always abortion." Kevin said, sipping at his glass. When he looked up he shrugged at the three death glares boring into him. "Hey, you wanted options!" he hushed when Gwen huffed and muttered something unheard.

"Ignore him, he's an ass." Ben grumbled as he pulled Edwin closer, setting his own cup down. "I promised we'd get through this, so abortion is out of the question. On top of I_that_/II'm pretty sure a dude going into an abortion clinic is kind of a no." he glared again at Kevin and Gwen rolled her eyes, snapping her fingers to draw her cousin's attention back to her.

"Ben, calm down. Now… I think the only person who knows the most about this is Grandma Verdona-"

"And Gorg." Edwin finally spoke up, blushing slightly. "I asked her for advice the other day…" he shook his head, drowning his embarrassment in his cup.

Gwen nodded, smiling. "Ok, so Grandma and Gorg. Probably Uncle Max as well, since he was in the Plumbers." she said, sipping at her own drink finally.

Green herbal with peppermint and honey. Kevin remembered her favorite…

"Yea but I really don't want Grandpa Max knowing I'm-"

"Knocked up?" Kevin interjected again, and Ben looked ready to throw his coffee cup.

"Kevin, stop it. Go to the garage! Blow off some steam in there or something." Gwen said as she turned, giving him a begging look. "This is serious, we don't need your jokes right now." though it hurt her to just shut him out like that, she knew if she didn't Ben would end up making a giant Kevin sized hole in one of her walls.

With a huff Kevin stood, bringing his cup with him as he walked around the chairs. "Ok fine, but only because you asked so nicely." his words were venomous but she knew he wasn't angry.

Gwen just knew he would stomp off to the garage, find something she never even used in there and either turn it into a high powered weapon or use it to work out. He wasn't that difficult to figure out… at least back when they were a sort of thing he wasn't.

"I just don't know what to do…" Ben muttered, catching Gwen's attention back to the boys across from her, "I want kids, sure. But I was thinking in my 20's, early 30's at best. Not at 18... No matter how much I'm in love with the daddy of them." his words were spaced and difficult, his thoughts obviously jumbled.

But they made Edwin smile and blush as he leaned against him, embarrassed and looking ashamed. I_'Boys are such difficult creatures.'_/I Gwen thought on cue as she sipped at her cup again.

"You could set them up for adoption. The Plumbers would be more than happy to help you with it; I know that, you've helped them loads of times as well." Gwen said, finally setting her cup down with a bright smile.

The look on Edwin's face was obvious. The thought of giving his kids away hurt, but she knew it would be easier on them.

But the look on Ben's face was so sickened at the thought it even made Gwen ill. His hand was pressed into his stomach, a glazed look pressed over his eyes as he swallowed and let out a near strangled breath.

"I… I don't know if I could do that…" Edwin looked back toward Ben, concern washing over him as he held his hand.

"Why not Ben?" and it was then Gwen felt like she was in a very awkward conversation. Her cousin shook his head, squeezing Edwin's hand.

"Even if I don't remember it, even if this is some big joke like the back of my mind tells me… I know you want these kids. I know how happy this makes you, even if it freaks both of us out… I want you happy more than anything." Ben smiled as his partner blushed and turned his gaze.

"I think I'll step out." Gwen bit her lower lip, standing as she picked up her cup. "Maybe check on Kevin." she muttered as she turned, a slight blush forming on her own cheeks.

For such a hot head Ben was really sappy, years of practice were a horrible mix with his savior of the universe ego.

"Gwen wait!" Edwin called as she reached the doorway, so she turned and smiled, looking toward him.

"Yea Eddy?" she asked.

"We'll… We'll keep them. Money won't be an issue, I have my own accounts to worry with now from my parents… and I can get us a house. I can even do research on the whole… man cross pregnancy thing!" he rattled on; halfway through he'd turned his gaze to Ben though, taking his hands as he spoke.

Gwen smiled, turning back as Edwin continued on his practical everlasting vow of love and headed into the hall. All was well with the world again.

At least it was until there was a transformed Kevin shaped hole in her wall and Kitchen floor, the Kevin in question coughing out a nice amount of blood as he tried to pull his head off the ground.

"What did you do?!" Gwen screamed, nearly dropping her cup. Though it didn't matter, only seconds after she shouted the question did a red shot break the middle of her cup, the pieces and remainder of the tea on her floor and blouse.

Her head turned quickly, reflex kicked in and she had a shield up in front of her in a matter of seconds. Two shots got off before they started reflecting off her mana, one grazing her shoulder and the other breaking her toaster.

"Damn it I LIKED that toaster!" she screamed, ignoring the sting in her arm save the hiss she gave when the shot hit her. Through the fog she saw the figure, shoulders broad, neck thick and four eyes that gleamed orange in the front two, pink in the back.

Their skin was gray, though most of it was covered in blue fabrics and shields. The creature sported six arms, three to each side and four legs they used to easily crunch over the rubble.

"I have no business with you either human, where is the Ter'abith Nal?!" it snarled, sounding rather male and frightening.

"What the fu-" Edwin had poked his head out of the doorway, screaming as the gun was aimed at him and fired. His response was quick and the right one.

Duck back behind the wall and get Ben. Gwen extended her shield, letting Ben and Edwin huddle into the space she had as she shot back energy balls.

"Get out of my house you freaky alien hunter! I'm not even done paying this damn thing off! Kevin get up and help me evict this thing already!" she screamed over the blasts, listening as he groaned in approval and stood, flipping the table over as cover.

"Where is the Ter'abith Nal?!" it screamed again, this time louder.

"What the hell is it talking about?!" Ben shouted, fumbling with his sleeve as he worked to ready his omnitrix.

"Oh… oh god Ben he's after you! A Ter'abith is that species I told you about!" Edwin screamed over the shots, gripping his arm before he could slam his fist down. "Don't go out there, it's after you!" Edwin tried desperately to keep the water from pooling into his eyes.

"I'm sorry Eddy, but if this ass hole wants me so bad, he can come and get me!" Ben scream, hand slamming down quickly as a cloud of smoke pushed passed them and Kevin took the lead to get into the group, half back to normal.

The green light flashed and everyone was blinded for a second or two, Gwen continued to shoot at the creature, never taking her eyes off her target.

Behind her though there was a gasp, then abrupt laughter.

"Oh my god my boyfriends a girl!"


	20. Phase10 04

"Oh. My. Lord!" the scream behind her made Gwen sigh as she reluctantly turned to catch a glimpse of a very female version of her cousin standing where the male one had been only a few seconds prier to 'going hero.'

The 'fem-Ben,' as the author will refer to him as until he times out, was in what looked like a lime green and black latex diving suit, her hair spun up in a bun with metal looking two inch rods hanging on the ends that had fallen out of place and in the center of the bun.

Her nails were a fluorescent green and her skin a very pale shade of blue; she turned sharply to glare at Kevin as he continued to laugh. "Stop laughing, I was trying to go Swamp Fire, not… i_this/i_!" her voice was higher yes, but that was defiantly still Ben, breasts and tail in all.

Wait, tail?

"There you are! Thought you could hide from me did you? Well too bad." one more round and the shield Gwen threw up shattered before the four of them, a few seconds later it was pulled up but Edwin wasn't as lucky as the others to have such good reflexes. His scream was almost as loud as Gwen's when her arm caught on fire from debris tat fell right after the alien shot above them.

"Kevin!" Gwen screamed, her head motioning toward the creature as she felt her eyes brim with mana and anger. Mostly anger though.

"Yea, got it, just toss me an opening!" he shouted over the blasts and cracks as Gwen nodded, readying an opening the size of his newly formed torso.

"Oh crap Eddy! Eddy are you ok?!" Ben rushed back, shielding Edwin and rubbing a few fingers over his dusty cheek.

"So that's your mate? No matter, I'll kill him first, Ter'abith Nal, then those two whelps inside you." Gwen shouted a profanity to keep the creature quiet and threw up the hole; only Kevin wasn't the one who jumped through it first.

Fem-Ben was, and she was snarling

Only instead of the hole, fem-Ben used the top swerve of the shield to summersault off and do some type of spinning vault kick that the author has no idea how to describe other than the bad guy got a nice chest full of angry fem-Ben feet.

The creature screamed as it jerked backwards, snarling as fem-Ben kicked back again and slid toward the wall in the rubble, her own growl vibrating around the room as those nail grew in lethal length and the metal pieces in her hair began to rise all by themselves.

Kevin tilted his head, a surprised look as he turned back to Gwen. "When did Ben learn Kung Fu?" he asked as she glared back at him.

"That's not Kung Fu, that's Parkour. And he doesn't know it, the form does. Now go help him and save my cousins kids before he does something stupid!" she shouted, looking back as fem-Ben stood and growled again, teeth barred and sharp. Defiantly different from normal Ben, and alien; the tail lashing behind her was alien.

Kevin nodded as he ran out into range, but Fem-Ben seemed to have this under control. Diving back at the creature as it charged her she let out something akin to a battle cry, nails swiping at the other alien's arms.

"Little Tiyski Biy-" Kevin cut the creature off by slamming his fist into his jaw as he dived at him from his blind spot.

"That is NO way to talk to a lady. Even if she deserves it!" Kevin shouted, shaking his hand out as he grumbled and flexed his fingers, catching the Alien's gaze as it pulled itself out of the floor and spit in his direction.

"Miu katzun Tiyski!" it hissed back, lifting its gun again as Kevin gasped and charged forward.

"Don't you fucking call me a Tiyski either you crazy trash rat!" he shouted, swinging his fists into the attack as fem-Ben stood straight, backing away from the fight and back behind the shield. The alien form Ben had on currently was panting, long razor claws outstretched and a low steady growl echoing from her chest.

"What's a Tiyski?" fem-Ben asked after catching her breath behind the safety Gwen had throw up, tail slapping back and forth behind her in aggravation. Edwin huffed, throwing his arms around fem-Ben's shoulders as he let out shaken laughter.

"I don't care, but don't you i_dare/i _ever do that again, do you understand me?!" he nearly screamed, but his voice never left room volume.

"Not the time for that boys! This… i_thing/i _is trashing my house!" Gwen said, pulling her shield back to form a large ball that she drew between her hands. "We need to get it outside and out of this building or my landlord will kill me!"

"Not if this thing gets to us first! Little help here!" Kevin shouted, grappling with the alien as he lost his footing, sending them both skidding down to the floor.

"Ok, we've got this, Eddy I want you to use the back door and go get in the car, go get my grandpa ok?" fem-Ben turned, hands on Edwin's shoulders as she leaned forward and brushed her nose against his cheek.

"I'm not leaving you Ben!" with a sigh fem-Ben turned Edwin and gave him a shove as a blast from one of the Alien's guns went off.

"Edwin go and don't you dare start arguing with me or I'll tie you to a bed post and-"

"BEN GOD DAMN IT HELP ME OUT OVER HERE!"

"Right, just go." turning on her heel the alien figure used the new-found agility and flexibility to make a running jump straight at the front rooms doorway, as she leapt upward her hands reached out and grabbed onto the frame.

Using the momentum from the swing and grounding she spun and finally let go, the direction of her vault giving her perfect aim for a crescent kick. Her foot slammed into the right side of the creatures face as Kevin cursed and ducked under her shadow.

"Little warning next time!" Kevin huffed out, pushing the creature off of his arms as it stumbled backwards from the force of the kick.

"Sorry, think first talk later. Help me get it outside." fem-Ben said as she landed with her hair back to swirling around her ears as the metal pieces clicked against each other occasionally.

"Will do, you start running to the door, I'll get big guys attention. Gwen, cover us?" Kevin looked over with enough time to see the redhead blast the energy ball straight at the creatures' gun as it shot an inch above Kevin's head, the gun clattering off the far wall.

"Yea I've got your cover. Just like old times." she said, a sly smirk on her lips as fem-Ben ran passed her, chuckling and dodging debris. "Now hurry up before I shoot i_you/i _next." and Kevin laughed as the Alien screamed at them both, a green shade of what Gwen presumed to be blood pouring down his nose and busted lip.

Kevin ducked next and jumped backwards, arms of the creature swinging out at him as he lead the creature toward the door while avoiding his attacks.

What he didn't avoid Gwen made up for, and by the time they had rounded the hall and gotten the alien just outside the front door a sound similar to the screech of a car halting and a symphony of glass bottles being shattered in the road arose above them.

All three of them looked up as fem-Ben came down in what looked like a back-hand spring off the roof, claws aimed straight down. Sadly the alien evaded her attack and used the opening to slam her into the doorframe with one of his other arms.

"Ben!" Gwen screamed in shock, ready to lay waist to this creature for hitting a girl… even if that girl was fully capable of kicking the creature into orbit and back.

"I'm ok!" the gasp of reassurance came as she rubbed her side and stood, facing the creature as it snarled and charged toward her. She huffed through her nose, jerking her body to the side and lifting her arms to her chest as she preformed a Butterfly kick to the creature's chest as it passed her.

Though it didn't seem to hurt the creature, the momentum fem-Ben gained from it set her right on her feet to Roundhouse kick the creature onto it's back as soon as it turned to face her.

Kevin hissed as the creature sailed backwards and broke the base of one of the maple trees growing nearby. What little leaves had been clinging to it now fell and surrounded the alien.

"That… looked painful…" Kevin said, nodding his head as he readied for a charge at the alien. Gwen stopped him though, looking over at Fem-Ben as she glared, the growl easing as her posture relaxed and her form eased.

"Ben?" Gwen called, and her cousin looked up, smiling as the metal pieces in her hair fell back down and into place.

"I think I broke something on it. I heard this crack when it hit the tree." Fem-Ben said, rubbing her arm with a blush before the time out noise on the omnitrix sounded and a green flash went off.

"I'm pretty sure that crashing noise you heard was the tree Ben, you broke it in… umm… Ben don't freak out." Gwen looked on, wide eyed as she looked at her cousin.

"What? … Oh no am I still an alien?" Ben held his hands out in front of him, but they were normal so he shrugged.

"Ben you're bleeding!" Kevin shouted, head snapping from the scene to the stirring alien a few yards away. "Hold that thought, I need to go knock that thing out." he grumbled.

Gwen ran over quickly, arms outstretched as Ben quickly let his gaze drop. His pants legs were soaked in blood, the dirt and grime from debris clinging to the fabric as he wobbled and fell forward into his cousin's hold.

"Oh shit…" his voice was worried and scared, his grip tightening on the back of Gwen's shirt.

"Calm down Ben, it's ok. You probably just got hit before changing and because of the suit no one would have noticed the blood." Gwen said in a reassuring tone, leading her cousin to the steps as he limped and groaned.

"No… No I didn't get hit…" Ben groaned again, easing his legs out as he steadied his breathing, looking up the road as his eyes searched for Edwin's car.

"Gwen… I didn't get hit." he said again, gripping onto one of her arms as she nodded and tried calming him down.

"It's ok Ben, you didn't get hit. Nothing happened… Look! There's Eddy's car." she smiled, ready for her Grandfather to get here and sort this situation out once and for all.

--

"So the creature that attacked us all at Gwen's house was called a… what was it called again?" Edwin asked as he went back to patting Ben's hand after hearing him groan, his boyfriend embarrassed and flushed as he shoved a pillow back over his face.

The blood hadn't come from the gun, but the gashes he'd somehow acquired mid-alien it seemed. Kevin suggested that when the creature had hit Ben into the door frame it must have clawed at him as well.

"That i_thing/i _was an Izgur. They're a race of… well; I guess you can call them bounty hunters. But they only hunt one thing." Gorg said as she reached into the small medical box and pulled out a plastic bag full of alcohol pads.

"The Ter'abith, I'm guessing." Gwen said, wincing as Unta blushed and apologized for the sting as she went back to attending her graze wound.

"No, only Ter'abith Nal or Val. Those are much more valuable than plain old Ter'abith." Gorg said, cleaning the wounds on the insides of Ben's legs as he screamed into the pillow at the burning sting.

"Don't be such a baby Ben, I didn't scream when I got mine cleaned up." Kevin muttered as he disassembled the gun in front of him for the seventh time, fingers never letting go of the core charger for more than a minute.

"What's the difference?" Gwen asked finally as Unta started wrapping her arm. "Between a normal Ter'abith and a Ter'abith Nal? It's one word, what makes them so special?" she asked as she relaxed back into the chair.

"Well, a Ter'abith i_Nal/i _is… are you sure she wasn't saying Val? From what I can tell Ben isn't a girl." Gorg said as her hands paused before she went back to work.

"I'm sure it said Nal." Gwen said after a chuckle and grumble from her cousin.

"Well, a Nal is a pregnant female. On the Ter'abith home world there are five out of a thousand Nal now because of that fertility drug I told Edwin about. On that planet there was… a kind of gender war." Gorg pulled back from the wound as Ben gasped, gripping Edwin's hand tighter.

"And I'm guessing the men lost?" Kevin asked, flipped the now completed gun over in his hands.

"Yes, they did lose. And because of it the fertility drug held stable, now on that planet it's more the men's job to populate it than it is the women's." Gorg sighed a little, looking over the now clean gashes on Ben's legs. "I don't like the way these look… I think they need stitching." she muttered.

Ben let out a strangled cry, gripping Edwin's arms harder as the door opened and Max Tennyson walked in, rubbing his temples. He looked around the room once before finding a seat and plopping down there and pulling out a bag full of some type of jerky.

"I think I've dealt with more cases since I've retired because of you three than I have back when I was still active in the force." Max huffed, reaching into the bag to pull out a strip of the mystery meat.

Gwen smiled before turning her attention back to Gorg, ready for her next question.

"… Why was it after Ben?" she finally asked after a pause, and Kevin looked up, ready to stand almost. Max chimed in though, relieving Gorg of talking duties as she began to measure a numbing shot and cream for Ben's gashes.

"My guess is that the omnitrix thought a female Ter'abith would be best suited for protecting Ben. The females are more agile and fight a lot stronger, though they only ever fight if their mate or children are threatened." Max leaned back, rubbing his temples again as he chewed.

"But what does that have to-"

"Nal fetuses sell for almost a gold cube on the black market." Kevin muttered, pulling his chair back. "That thing wanted to kill Ben, take the kids inside and get off with a cash cow." he set the gun down, leaving the room in a fluster.

Gwen stood after him, frowning as she followed.

"Alright then, can I get some explanations?" Max finally asked after the pause broke.

Outside the warehouse Gwen had to set out at a run to keep up with Kevin, calling after him as the chill hit her arms with little biting stings. "Kevin hold on!" she called again, panting as he finally slowed to a stop.

"Kevin what's wrong?" she asked, reaching for his hand as she stopped behind him to catch her breath. He snatched his hand away though, looking off into the distance with a scowl.

"Kevin?" she tried again and he turned to face her, anger boiling on his skin.

"Drop it ok, that's just sick. Trading that much time for murder of something that can't defend itself and they just hunt them down like animals and…" he was seething and ready to scream by the time she caught his hand.

"Calm down, why is this upsetting you so much Kevin?" she asked, gripping his hand a little tighter.

"Because no matter how much I want to hate you I still end up loving you! I hate you and I want to slam Tennyson's face into the pavement but I can't because every time I do I see you crying or the three of us back the way it was! I can't stop needing to help you, it's like this stupid over-whelming urge to be beside you!" he was panting, steam rolling off his skin as he shook.

Gwen let her mouth drop, no words forming as she tried thinking through this new bit of information. She finally gathered that she didn't need words and reached up to brush the hair out of Kevin's face, smiling a bit as he let out a pathetic laugh.

"You can't stand me now." he muttered, ready to turn before she snatched him back.

"Kevin yesterday you were a cocky bastard and today you're acting like a girl." she told him, smiling as she looked up at him. "Grow up. You're stuck with me… for as long as you're here you're stuck with me." she didn't specify her meaning of here either; she just smiled as Kevin chuckled and leaned forward to pull her to his chest.

It was an awkward hug at first, but when they had both gotten the hang of it they both relaxed, battered and bruised outside in the cold.

Gwen looked up after a while, watching the sky until something cold hit her nose. She reached up, rubbing at the substance before more began dripping around them.

"Kevin… Kevin it's snowing!" Gwen let him go, spinning around a few times with a laugh. "Why is it snowing? It was summer not even a few days ago!" she called to him with a laugh as she spun off in circles, letting the flakes hit her.

Kevin never answered her so she stopped, heaving out a breath to smile at him as he leaned against a tree. "Kevin…"

"You were with me for a long time in space. I know it might not have seemed like it, but it was." he said, looking away from her and at the falling white. "I took you away from everything for a while and you come back to dance circles in the snow." he was smirking now.

"When was the last time you danced like that, Gwen?" he asked, looking back at her as she blushed and began stepping toward him.

"Or since you've laughed like that, or smiled like you used to?" he stopped as she stood in front of him, looking up at him as her lips parted.

"I missed so much… now I just don't think I can leave you to go off and miss it again…" his words were muttered, nearly muted as the wind blew by suddenly and swept the stray pieces of snow around them like dust. Gwen blushed, shutting her mouth to swallow as Kevin took a chance and brushed his own hand across her cheek.

"I don't want to leave you, Gwen." if she hadn't been able to read his lips just then she'd have never heard him whisper. She let a smile grow on her face, relaxing as she placed her hand over his.

"If you really don't want to leave Kevin… then don't." she muttered, stepping forward again to snuggle her face into his chest. "We'll get out of here… we'll get out and start all over… I need a new house anyway." she rambled, planning for everything and nothing all in one as Kevin added in his two cents here and there. The two of them stayed outside until the snow was ankle deep.


	21. Phase10 05

"God I hate thi-DIE ALREADY!" Ben shouted as he gripped the controller to the video game a bit tighter. He stood as soon as he shouted, his grandfather jerking awake in his chair.

"Oh no way I am so winning!" Edwin laughed as he jerked his own controller to the left, smiling as he bit his bottom lip.

"How can you be good at this game? I've had it for years!" Ben nearly shrieked as his player flew back across the screen, a K.O. in white flash blinking before him. "… and again I die." he dropped the controller onto the coffee table, snatching up his glass.

Max sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Ben paced and drank in quick sips. "What's going on this time?" he mumbled, blinking through his sleeping fog.

"Oh, sorry Max… we started playing a game while we were waiting for Kevin and Gwen to get back." Edwin said, moving some of the controllers so Ben could sit beside him.

With an agitated sigh Ben did just that, stretching out as he set the glass down on the counter, rubbing his eyes with a string of grumbles.

"Don't talk like that Ben; I don't want my kids having a potty mouth." Edwin mumbled back against his neck, tapping his shoulder gently.

"Yea I'll watch it if you s-" Ben hushed as he heard the door open and caught his grandfathers confused gaze. "That'll be them." Edwin smiled as he moved his arms from around Ben, letting him sit up and stretch.

"I'll go tell them where we are." he muttered as he stood, walking gingerly toward the hallway that lead top the front room.

"You've still got snow in your hair, Gwen… here." Ben slowed again as the voices became clearer along the walk toward the back room, the sudden urge to eavesdrop striking him like the alien had earlier. Only this time more metaphor and a lot less flying through the air to hit a wall or support beam.

"Thanks. I never would have noticed… Kevin are you bleeding?" Gwen's voice sounded a bit worried, slightly frightful even. Ben stopped, pressing his back against the hallway wall as he inched along it.

"What? … no, it's just my skin. I'm fine." Ben finally got to the corner of the wall, peering behind it to catch the glimpse he needed of Kevin and Gwen standing across the room by the door. Gwen was smiling, relaxed as she continued to brush the snow out of her hair.

"We should find your cousin and tell him." Kevin muttered, it was almost too low for Ben to make it out, but it intrigued him enough to catch his ear. He glowered, leering through the room as he placed a hand on the wall to keep him steady.

"He's probably just in the back playing video games or getting food, you know Ben." Gwen said, smiling as she pulled her hair across her shoulder and set a hair tie in it. She brushed her fingers through what was left and sighed, stopping near the end to grip her hair a bit.

"I don't think I should tell him yet… I still need to get everything out…" she muttered, but Ben couldn't make the last bit out. He needed to get closer.

"Not everything, Gwen, you didn't use half of it I'm sure, so just what you use weekly would be fine. But really, if you don't tell him, I will." Kevin muttered, taking a step toward the hall. Ben quickly let go of the wall, ready to dash away until Gwen snatched up Kevin's wrist.

"It's not his business, it's mine, I'll tell who I want to." she barked, an angry spark in her eyes.

"Well actually it's _our _business, Gwen; it does take two to decide that you know." Kevin snapped back. Gwen glared at him, swatting his hand away as he went to touch her face. Ben felt his eyes grow wide as his mind race and he entered the room.

"Oh my god." he breathed, both people in the room turning to him in a startled way, eyebrows raised.

"Ben, there you are, what's wrong?" Gwen asked, heading toward him.

"You're pregnant! I knew it, it wasn't just me damn it I knew it Kevin I'm going to kill you!" Ben dived toward Kevin; fist balled until a beam grabbed him in mid-air and set him in place.

"Damn it Ben I'm not pregnant!" Gwen nearly shouted, pulling Ben back with her mana, grunting a bit as she pushed back at his struggling.

"Then what the hell were you two talking about?!" Ben shouted, still fighting against the binds Gwen had wrapped around him. "Everything you two were talking about leads to having a baby!"

Gwen groaned and sighed, setting Ben on his feet but still in her mana's grip as Kevin chuckled and turned to rub the back of his neck. "Ben, I'm talking about moving out of my current place. It's pretty much trashed anyway and since Kevin is in my custody he'd have to move with me." she grumbled, arms crossed.

"… I'm having a hard time believing you." Ben huffed, crossing his arms as Gwen groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Ben! My house has giant holes in it now!" Gwen screamed in frustration, throwing up her hands and letting Ben go from her mana grip. "What do I have to prove i_that/i _to you?!" she nearly howled as Kevin came to her rescue and pulled her close to his chest.

"I know there are holes! I meant being pregnant!" Ben shouted back as Kevin held Gwen in place from diving into a shouting match.

"Fine, you want proof! I'll give it to you!" Gwen shouted as she drew her hands back as they began to hum almost with mana, and as she did it Edwin and Max came running into the room, Max holding a Plumbers gun.

"What's going on in here?" Eddy gasped as Gwen tossed her hands straight at Ben before anyone could even stop her. The flash was blinding and for a moment everyone was stunned by the choking feeling of white.

After the light faded to a dull pink the room was covered in an odd glow, lines connected to both Ben and Gwen as they stretched from their stomachs to the center of the glow.

Each of the circles swirled until it formed an ultrasound, the warm glow of Ben's twins sleeping sounds in misshapen balls, and the empty circle of Gwen's.

"There, I told yo-"

"Oh god… Ben!" Edwin took a step forward, dropping the glass that was in his hand as he stared straight at the ultrasound in shock. "Ben they've… they've got-"

"Oh my god they've got tails!"

Kevin quickly let go of Gwen's arms as she let her spell fade from her own half, holding the form on Ben as she walked forward and tilted her head.

"Will you look at that…" she muttered, poking at the ultra sound as the babies squirmed and tossed, wiggling about before the orb blinked out of sight. The room filled with silence before Max sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm too old for this. I mean it this time." he said, turning around as he headed back down the hall. "I'm going to get my coat, go back to the rust bucket and talk to some people!" he shouted as he hurried out, more than ready for this day to be over.

Gwen sighed again as Ben stared and the shut his mouth as he turned back to her. "I'm sorry… that I jumped to conclusions." he whispered, "I just… I thought…" he shook his head, not ready to continue before grabbing Edwin's hand. "I'm hungry." it was all he muttered as he dragged his boyfriend out of the room.

Kevin sighed as he watched them go, turning back to Gwen after a silence had settled. "I think that went well." he said with a smile until Gwen smacked him hard across the arm. "Ouch! Woman why did you hit me!" he grumbled at her.

"Kevin…" Gwen went to say something but stopped, hand up in the air before she lowered it and closed her mouth. "You know what, never mind. It's just stupid." she took his hand in hers, smiling a bit. "Let's just go." she said, tugging his hand a bit as he laughed a little and began walking with her.

"I'm sorry I broke a hole in your wall." he said after a silence of everything but their footsteps. Gwen smiled as she turned to look back at him, picking up her bag from one of the chairs.

"It's ok; it was going to happen eventually anyway. I mean, Ben's always moving places you know, cause of stuff like this I mean." she smiled and pulled her purse over her shoulder by the strap. "Anyway, come on." she said, tightening her grip on his hand again.

Kevin nodded as they walked outside into the snow, letting Gwen lead him as they heading in the general direction of her house. They shared the silence, smiling back and forth like love struck teenagers. If anyone would have passed, that's all they would have seen standing their.

Love struck teens who didn't even realize they were doing it, the smiles and random nervous laughter as they held hands. Gwen was back in high school all over again and it felt like she's never left those memories. Everything that had happened when she was 15 was fresh and nothing else mattered.

She was just a girl holding hands with a boy she cared about, and the boy cared about her back. It was cheesy and romantic and neither of them cared to notice or even care.

When they finally got to the broken up patch work palace Gwen had called a home she turned, looking back up at him with a smile. "Stay here, I just remembered something." she let his hand go gently and ran inside through the hole in the garage, rummaging through tossed boxes.

"What are you doing Gwen?" Kevin asked after a good five minutes and a loud crash.

"Hunting!" she called back, tossing an empty cardboard box at his head as she tossed it behind her. Kevin sidestepped it, nearly barking back at her for her aim before she let out a squeal of delight that was so unlike her.

"Found it!" she shouted, stumbling around the boxes as she headed back out of the garage and smiled, hair strands falling out of place as she held the prize behind her back.

The man waited quietly, ready for whatever the other girl had in store for him. Gwen smirked as she took one of his hands and placed the item in it. "I found this a couple of weeks ago, and I thought for some god forsaken reason it might come in handy." she said with a smirk, waiting for his reaction.

He turned it over, tilting his head before he stopped and froze, his face falling before he started laughing. Gwen grinned with him and laughed a little as well.

"Of all the…" Kevin shook his head as he held the crystal up to the light, "Taedenite, where on this green Earth did you find this stuff?" he asked with another laugh, tossing it up into the air before snatching it back into his hand.

"Let's just say Gwen isn't the only one Alien's come to for help anymore." she said with a smile, looking back toward the house with a grin. "Come on, you can help me uncluttered my place." Gwen said with a smile, leading Kevin back inside through the large hole in her garage door.

--

"Are you keeping this?" Kevin asked Gwen as he held up the CD case, having flipped open the box on a whim. Gwen turned back to him from her fight with the dust that had caked the stack of boxes ion the back of the garage that hadn't fallen over yet.

"What is it?" She asked, heading over to him through the garbage bags. Levin flipped it over a few times before he grabbed another rag and scrubbed the cover clean.

"Looks like some classical crap." he said with a shrug before he let out a curse as Gwen pulled a few strands of his hair.

"Don't make fun of classical, and anyway this isn't classical, it's actually a CD I borrowed from someone… they just never came to pick it up… huh, I don't think I've ever even listened to this thing." she muttered as she plucked it out of his hands, opening the case to examine the CD.

"Well if you've never listened to it why don't we listen? I bet it'll be fun." Kevin said as he stood straight and snatched the case from Gwen, heading over toward the busted up CD player as he knelt in front of it and began tangling with the cord.

"Kevin don't worry with it, it's silly to put it on." she said, crossing her arms as he yelped when a spark hit him from the outlet before he grumbled and plugged the item in.

"It's silly to do this in silence, put the CD box over by the rest of the group items that need to be sorted through will you?" he asked her as he grabbed a screwdriver and went to fixing the lid of the player as he sat down and grumbled at the thing.

"Kevin what if the neighbors hear, it's nearly two in the morning!" Gwen said gently before she stopped as Kevin raised an eyebrow at her.

"Gwen, a giant Alien just threw me through your house, a girl kicked its ass and then turned into a guy before vomiting on your lawn and complaining about morning sickness." Gwen snorted a bit at the last one before brushed imaginary dust from her nose.

"I think a little bit of music will make you seem a tad more normal, don't you?" he asked with a smirk as she rolled her eyes.

Fine." she finally said, tossing her hands up before lifting the box below her with a bit of a groan as Kevin nodded and popped the CD into the player. He fiddled with the volume for a few minutes before the garage filled with music, upbeat and quick.

"There, now we have something to listen to." he said as he turned, walking over to help her set the box on top of a few others, his fingers brushing over hers as he smiled. "So… what else should I help you with?" he asked, smiling as she rolled her eyes.

"You can take the bike out to the curb with the garbage bags that we've gotten so far." she said, pulling her hand back with a blush as he nodded and started lifting the items before heading outside. She kept the blush as she turned quickly and began opening a new box.

Inside were pictures, the first of a teen red head wrapped up in a dark haired teens arm as a brunette stood to their left making faces as they all laughed. Each was dressed in loose clothing as they stood on the boardwalk, a balloon string wrapped around the girl's wrist.

Gwen opened her mouth, no real intention to speak, but shock overtaking her as she picked up the shoe box, walking over to one of the chairs she'd dragged out and setting the box in her lap. She flipped through several pictures that were similar until she stopped and bit her lip with a smile.

Two ten year olds and their grandfather were standing outside an old RV, smiling as they waved at the Camera, all but the boy. He stood making faces at the camera at just the right moment, Gwen couldn't help but smile and laugh as she set the picture back, looking through to another.

The next one she came across that made her smile was a dark haired teen leaning against his car, arms crossed as he grinned and poured a smoothie onto another boys head. She bit her lip again, feeling her throat tingle.

Kevin walked back in and grabbed the bike, the wheels bent inward and cracked; he looked up and stopped when he caught sight of Gwen wiping tears from her eyes.

"Gwen… are you ok?" he asked, setting the bike back down as Gwen put the new picture down. It was of Kevin, his teens hidden under rock, steel and wood skin.

"I thought I'd fixed it… I thought that I had, I was just so sure I'd fixed it and I…" she sniffled, shaking her head before she closed the box and set it atop a keep pile.

"Gwen…"

"I'm fine, I promise." she stood, breathing out and picking up a garbage bag. "Here, I'll help you out."


	22. Phase10 06

The sun had decided to be extremely blaring today, even though the snow had only just fallen a few days before and coated the ground with a few inches of snow. As tired as Gwen and Kevin both were they knew that sleep was out of the question even as their lids threatened to shut.

Everything Gwen was keeping had been packed into boxes and placed on the right hand side of the garage, while everything that had been trash had been picked up by the garbage man in several cans already.

Now Kevin had finished setting everything else into a truck for a charity or thrift store that would be useful to other people and wasn't too big for the burn pile. The truck in question had gotten there after a few calls and several favors from Kevin as well, free of charge.

"Kevin, can you help me with the dresser and other stuff when you get back?" Gwen asked him as she sat in the snow with the keys in her hand, watching Kevin as he started rubbing his fingers into the slush and dirt below that was beside them.

"Yea, you want me to stop by a drug store or something and get drinks... or breakfast?" he asked her as she sat next to him, taking the keys from his hands as she let her head hit the wall. She nodded after thinking it over, letting the breeze hit her neck a few times as she looked across the yard.

"You know, when I first bought this place... I planned on a garden." she admitted, smiling as Kevin laughed and slowly stood, his legs groaning. "And a tire swing... oh, and getting a pet." she added again as Kevin took the keys from her.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." he murmured, leaning over to kiss the top of her forehead. She smiled and brushed her fingers together with his, it caused him to chuckle as he waved when he walked away.

Gwen watched him pack himself into the truck, the motor vehicle revving as its engine started, shaking the device until to groaned and pulled out of the driveway and down the street. She sighed again, the breeze running along her skin with bits of snow from the other day.

She stared out at her yard, or what was once her yard, and realized that everything was crashing down around her. She counted the events, even if they weren't important.

Snake people kidnapping her, meeting up with Kevin, her emotional breakdown, kids from the future, getting back to Earth, Ben being pregnant, flushing her system of what she had decided to call the Anti-mana that had been screwing with her head... wow she was on two hands, that was seven and it had required her to lift her other hand as she counted mentally.

Well, the Snake people things and their family issues weren't her problem anymore, those were the plumber's issue, and she could mark that off her list. And by marking, she folded a finger down.

The emotional breakdown was caused by the Anti-mana, and she'd fixed that. Two more fingers went down and she went back to thinking. Getting back to Earth was done, so she really didn't need that one, one more finger down. Kevin... Kevin was an issue she was still working on, though she was pretty sure she knew what she was going to do.

So she'd gone from seven to three, Kevin being an issue, the whole 'kids from the future' thing being an issue, and Ben being pregnant. On top of this she hadn't gotten to ask Ben why he had suddenly just decided to date Edwin, other than the whole pregnancy thing. Not that she cared, Ben could be dating a werewolf for all she cared, as long as it treated him friendly.

But she'd been friends with Edwin just as long as Ben had, and she'd figured out he liked him long before Eddie even had. What had happened that had made him confess, her closed off tucked in friend Eddie wasn't one to just come out and say he like a guy, he would want the perfect moment before that happened.

_'What could that have been?'_ Gwen though as she sighed and stood, feeling a shiver hit her as the snow and cold bit at her sweat from moving boxes all day. _'I'll have to call him...'_ she thought, heading into the garage to grab a coat.

Gwen had the perfect plan, a bon fire with her friends and Kevin. Bonfires had booze if they needed it, fire and even shouting drunken songs until three in the morning. At least that's what her brother imagined since Gwen hung out with nothing but boys.

"Ok... three... two... one!" Kevin and Edwin lifted the broken dresser up and tossed it into the pit that had been dug out back as Gwen threw a thumbs up. "Ok... ok that's in there, what else?" Kevin breathed as Ben smiled and pointed at the boxes and other fire food behind him.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you." Ben chuckled as Edwin glared, he never said another word but he did keep on laughing as Kevin groaned and walked toward the pile. "Here, let me help you." he waved off Edwin's protest when Gwen dragged her friend away from the men.

"Eddie, hey can I talk to you?" she asked as they walked to the other side of the pit, both of them sitting on logs as they stared at the two men before them chucking things into the pit.

"Of course you can, Gwen. What's up?" Edwin finally turned his face toward her, pulling his eyes away from the two boys and setting his hands on his knees. Gwen smiled, watching her friend rub his hands across the denim of his jeans.

"Well, it's just been a really long time since we've just talked, the two of us," her friend made a face at her and she laughed, "ok you've got me, I need information." she smiled as Edwin grinned, leaning back a bit.

"No price is too high for you, what do you need?" he asked, patting her back with a smile. She nodded, looking back at Kevin as he one armed a small coffee table she'd found hidden under a tent, dust eaten and molding.

"I want to know why you decided to suddenly get together with Ben when I was gone." she finally asked, turning back to her friend as she crossed her arms, a set in stone process she knew she had to get through. Edwin stiffened when she asked him, his teeth grinding as he turned to look at Ben across the yard. After a sigh he leaned back, an unsettled laugh leaving his lips.

"You're not going to believe it... hell, _I_ don't even believe it!" he nearly threw his hands up at the uneasy tone his voice made, but settled for wrapping them around his chest. "It's... complicated." he muttered, but she knew she could prod the information out of him.

"You can tell me..." she took his hand for reassurance, smiling as he smiled back and gave her fingers a squeeze.

"I got visited by my future kids." he laughed, letting her hand go as she blinked. "Yea, stupid right? They gave me this... pill, told me to give it to Ben and go 'have a good time.' I just thought they were playing... but then... they weren't. I was so frustrated and scared and I just did it, it could have been poison! But I did it, and..." Edwin went on, but Gwen had tuned him out in shock.

Edwin had been visited by his future children, just like she had. Only... did Ben know they were his kids?

"Does Ben know?" she finally asked him, cutting off his sentence.

"About the ice cubes?"

"No! Eddie about your kids." Gwen said with a nervous laugh, smiling to try and pry a yes out of him.

"No... I couldn't... he'd never have believed me. Oh god, I still don't believe it." Gwen nodded, patting her friends back as she tucked this new information into the back of her brain. "You think any of it actually happened?" Edwin asked her, obviously referring to something she'd tuned out.

"I don't know... I guess time is our answer." she told him, standing after he did with a helping hand from him.

"Ok Gwen! That's the last of it!" Ben shouted as Kevin stood over the pit and poured gasoline on the top. "What say I go Alien for old time's sake?" he called, and Edwin shook his head no.

"I'm not having you grow tits again! That's the body the babies are in anyway, I don't want you inhaling the smoke in that form." Edwin said as he jogged over, hugging Ben as they both turned to Gwen as she got to Kevin's side. She sighed, looking down into the pit before turning to her... well, whatever Kevin was.

"Hurry up and ask your boyfriend for a lighter Gwen, some of us want smores!" Ben barked at them, and Kevin raised a fist, ready to shout back.

"Look here Ten-" Gwen caught his wrist before he could lift it to point at Ben, letting his gaze catch hers as they smiled. Kevin paused, gauging her look before he hitched his breath. Gwen turned, raising her own fist in the air.

"At least my boyfriend doesn't wear high heals!" she shouted back, and the three of them, excluding Edwin, laughed.

"One time and you never let me live it down!" he shouted back, burying his face into Ben's shoulder. The laughter died down and Kevin smiled as he looped his fingers with Gwen, unspoken was their status. One more finger could be folded down. After a bit of digging Kevin pulled out a lighter and flicked it open.

"Got a stick?" he asked her, rubbing his bottom lip and readjusting his lip ring. She bent down, snatching a dry one from the pile as they lit the tip of it. They both knelt down, still hand in hand as Kevin flicked his lighter closed. "To the rest of our lives?" he asked her quietly, almost scared she didn't hear him. She turned, smiling at him and tossing the stick into the fire, the gasoline catching.

"How about to the rest of however long I can stand you." Kevin laughed as they stood, heading toward the logs with Ben and Edwin.


	23. Phase10 07

As far as things went the party had been a success, and really that was the good side to this week, it was something Gwen had to remind herself. The bad side was the house hunting she and Kevin had been doing, the paperwork she'd been forced to write through, the explanations and migraines along with her cousin and his morning sickness, and even worse were the questions she kept asking herself.

It would all be ok though, today was a good day and she had to keep telling herself that, it was Friday after all. That of course meant in a few measly hours it would be Saturday. Saturday meant she could sleep in with Kevin, whom she'd gladly taken as a giant bed pillow ever since the knocking at the door started.

Today though, Kevin had thought of everything to ease her mind by taking her on a 'date', even if it was only for five minutes. Right now they were on a nice, quiet date in the middle of some no where park, nestled comfortably on a tire swing she was pretty sure hadn't been there the day before.

"So... I'm really your boyfriend now?" Kevin finally asked the red head after a sigh, a hand rubbing at her side as she smiled and nodded up at him, she was so tired and he was there not driving her crazy.

"I thought it wise, seeing as we're supposed to have kids together later on in the future, you know what I mean right?" Kevin laughed as Gwen looked back at him, their hands finally looping together as she rubbed her forehead and sighed again.

"Now see, you told me-"

"I know what I told you, Kevin... and I take it all back. All the bad times we can just wipe from our memories, ok? I'm just... too tired to worry about anything else..." she smiled as he hummed in approval and started looking up at the stars with her. After a pause Kevin shifted, his right leg tossed over the ledge of the tire while his left tucked into the rim.

"This just complicates things and makes them perfect at the same time, you know that right?" Gwen looked up at Kevin again with a tilt of her head and a puzzled expression as he chuckled. "This is a gross violation of my parole Gwen, not to mention your sanity and mine." he laughed for her, because truth have it she just couldn't laugh right now.

"It's ok, I'll sort it all out..." she gave his hand a tight squeeze before muttering the rest, "I'm not losing you again like this. I won't let it be my fault."

"What about this one?" Kevin turned the page upside down on the table and pointed to a picture for the red head across from him; she leaned over and steadied a yawn as she read from the booklet before nodding.

"Just add it to the maybe list, ok?" she muttered, blinking profusely before the man across from her raised an eyebrow. Gwen shook her head at his questioning gaze, at that moment Edwin walked in from the other room, thankfully Ben had agreed to share his place until he and Edwin found a new one. "Hey Eddie..." she yawned this time, hand coming up over her mouth.

"Hello Gwen." Edwin started, and watched as the pierced and shaggy black haired male scooped the red head up and headed toward the direction of their current bedroom. "Bye Gwen, sweet dreams." he waved and heard her mutter a sloppy 'I'm not sleepy though' and chuckled. She'd been pushing herself farther than anyone had wanted her to.

"Eddie!"

Oh right, he had something to be getting, the ice cream from the fridge. Ben was 'starving' again and also currently 'in the mood' as Verdona kept putting it, much to his ongoing embarrassment. After grabbing the small pint and a spoon he headed back into the bedroom and handed them both over. "Here you go Ben, don't eat it all too fast, you'll make yourself sick." he smirked when Ben glared and pointed at the pillow he had been sitting on prior to leaving. Ben was awfully cuddly these days.

He sat down as directed and let Ben snuggle on top of him as he ate, listening to the hum from the brunettes headset. When they weren't on his head Ben had them snuggled to his stomach as he played soothing and horribly cheesy music, ever since he found out they were both girls at least.

"Mmm... this is like… terrible good..." Ben slurped at the melted portion of ice cream from his spoon and looked up before offering Edwin a portion. "Try it." the hero offered, smiling when his boyfriend slipped his tongue around the spoon and took it from him.

They went back to their silence and continued to just enjoy each others company, something they both needed. "... Eddie" but of course no silence can go on forever when there's an actual plot and an author trying to wrap things up.

… ignore me breaking the fourth wall right there.

"Yea Ben?" Edwin asked, running a few fingers through his boyfriends' hair with a smile.

"I've been thinking... about the baby names." Edwin nodded as Ben took off his headset and placed it on the nightstand. "Now it's just a thought, so if you don't like it just tell me." Edwin laughed and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Out with it Ben, as long as it's not something horrible." he muttered, tired slightly from the days previous of constant vomiting and food cravings his boyfriend produced.

"Well... I was thinking of naming them... Beny and Tamy..." he was looking down as he said it so he missed when Edwin discolored and tensed … though when he looked up with a real questioning gaze at Edwin he couldn't keep a grin from cracking on his face.

"Well, they did save your life, didn't they." Edwin said as his grin turned into a smirk.

"You like it too? Good, I think it's perfect!" and they kissed briefly before Ben sprawled back down and put his headset back on.

So he didn't know what was behind his words, he hadn't put two and two together. Beny and Tamy were their children, even now they knew just what they were doing... and they weren't even born yet.

Private schools for sure.

A few months later Gwen was napping quietly in her new home office when she told everyone she was actually meditating, but she knew no one would believe her if she'd just said she was napping. Kevin was in the double car garage that he'd nearly squealed over, all while never making a single facial change.

Paperwork had been ripped from her arms by her grandfather and other plumbers, and Kevin Ethan Levin was put into her custody for three years. They'd both become close again, and while Gwen hated... ok not so much hate anymore as aggravated her to say it, she couldn't do this without him. He was there for her, and she'd buried her concentration into his mana to unwind it for months.

Everything was finally back to semi-normal at least, everything was back on track and she didn't have to worry about anything because it was all taken care of.

... Except for her new home phone, she needed to shoot that.

"... Hello?" she nearly groaned into the plastic, and frantic panting and screaming met her ears.

"He's in labor! Gwen get here please, Ben's... please just get here!" Gwen could honestly say she'd never had a need to fly down her stairs until that moment as she screamed for her boyfriend.

"They're so precious." Ben muttered as he watched the tiny pale newborns yawn at once in his arms. Even this small their tails needed separate slip covers, but that didn't stop both parents of the fraternal twins from showing them off to anyone who was willing to see.

"They are." Edwin sat beside his now fiancée as they both gazed longing at their children, and as weird as the thought had been during pregnancy and childbirth, which I'm probably not ever going to get into unless I'm bribed, now they were completely and utterly in love with their daughters.

"Which one's which?" Kevin finally asked to break the cooing over the newborns. Edwin looked up but Gwen cut him off before he could explain.

"Black hair is Beny, tawny hair is Tamy." Gwen told him and he nodded in realization, rubbing his temples with a sigh.

"Well at least you guys know, right?" Ben hummed as he never let his gaze pull away from the babies on his arms. "They're just so tiny, how on Earth did I get them out?" he muttered the rest as Edwin leaned over to kiss his forehead, smiling happily.

"You were an alien Ben, don't question it any farther than that." Gwen ruffled her cousin's hair before turning and nodding toward the door. "Kevin, let's give them some privacy before all the other relatives show up, ok?" the tallest male nodded and turned with her as they slipped outside and onto a balcony. Out here the only noises were birds chirping at three in the morning and the slight brush of wind here and there against the trees, no street lamps in their direct line of sight for miles.

Gwen stood against the railing, watching the leaves stir in front of her as Kevin came up behind her, arms around her waist as he smiled. "It's been pretty crazy lately, hasn't it?" he muttered, watching the stars twinkle here and there. "At least we know we don't have to worry about Ben going hero any time soon, Edwin would tear him another new one." Gwen laughed and Kevin just smiled.

"Yea, I can see that happening." she muttered it out and kept looking up at the sky. "Speaking of happening..." Gwen paused to turn around in Kevin's arms, looking up to catch his gaze. "I have something to tell you..." she watched as he looked away slowly, his gaze suddenly fixated on something off in the distance."... Kevin, I'm trying to be serious with you." she snapped a few times and watched as a light flickered in Kevin's eyes. "God damn it."

She turned just in time to see something crash land a few miles away, a small rolling dust cloud waving toward them, but the disturbance would never make it past the break of the trees. "We better go handle that." Kevin muttered, rubbing his temple as he used his other hand to grip the railing and absorb the pipe onto his skin. "We'll never live this down if that thing gets in earshot of Ben." Gwen smiled as Kevin readied to jump over the railing.

"Kevin will you marry me?" and when he jumped he missed his landing and fell on his side, shouted repeated curses as Gwen peered over the railing before flying down to check on him. "You ok?" she muttered, rubbing his back as he sat up and glared.

"What in the hell are you on abo-"

"Because I think I'm pregnant. For real." they both just sat in silence before Kevin opened his mouth and then closed it before nodding.

"Yea... let's do that... get married, I mean... I mean... you sure?" Gwen nodded and he stood, brushing off his encased body before sighing. "Fuck this is awesome. Let's go kick this things ass!" Kevin started off at a run and Gwen laughed as she went after him.


End file.
